Case Files with Kat and Ashley

It’s officially spooky season, and we are kicking things off with a story that has just about everything: a whirlwind romance, a handsome doctor, a picture-perfect family, funeral homes, stolen body parts and a whole lot of things happening to dead people that absolutely should not have been happening. When Barbra Reifel met Michael Mastromarino at a Manhattan tanning salon, the connection was ins...

Fifteen-year-old Melanie Ethier was just minutes from home when she vanished into the night. Despite extensive searches, suspicious sightings, and decades of investigation, no trace of her has ever been found. This week, Ashley examines the disappearance that has haunted a small Canadian town for nearly 30 years. Was it a case of mistaken identity? Was it wrong place, wrong time? Join us as we exp...

**CONTENT WARNING**  This episode includes discussion of domestic violence, coercive control, stalking, sexual abuse allegations, mental health, and suicide. Please take care while listening.   When Mica Francis Miller died by suicide in April 2024, questions surrounding her marriage to pastor John-Paul Miller quickly captured national attention. But Mica’s story is about much more than the circum...

In this week's episode, Ashley discusses the heartbreaking and infuriating disappearance of Angela Green, a 51-year-old mother in Prairie Village, Kansas. Throughout the investigation, her husband's story changes about 700 times, yet he is never named an official suspect and her case remains unsolved to this day.  Anyone with any information about the case can either call the TIPS hotlin...

*This was recorded a few weeks ago and delayed release so if we talk about anything in a timely manner that doesn't make sense- that's why* Tanya Kach was groomed by a security guard at her middle school when she was only 14. She was held captive for 10 years, 2 miles from her father's home. In this episode, Ashley discusses what Tanya went through during the 10 years she was held c...

In December 1991, 18-year-old mother Nicola Payne vanished during a six-minute walk across a foggy stretch of Coventry, England, and has never been seen again. Decades of searches, conflicting witness accounts, questionable alibis, lost evidence, DNA testing, and even a murder trial have failed to answer what happened to her. More than 30 years later, Nicola’s family is still waiting for the answe...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode talks about online stalkjing of a minor,  REFERENCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Breck_Bednar https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-37218591 https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/12/lewis-daynes-stabbed-breck-bednar-essex-sentenced-chelmsford-crown-court https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/alerts/2025/violent-online-networks-target-vulnerable...

In this episode, Ashley discusses the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, the murder of her father Tommy, and the family that was responsible for it all. Crystal was a mother of five who had her whole life ahead of her. Let's keep her name alive by telling her story. Resources: 1. https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-crystal-rogers 2. https://fox56news.com/news/kentucky/11-passed-since-cr...

This week, Kat dives into the infamous Leopold and Loeb case, the shocking 1924 murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks that became known as the "Crime of the Century." From two extremely smart and privledged young men convinced they could commit the perfect murder to Clarence Darrow's legendary defense, this case forever changed conversations about criminal psychology, justice, and the...

In this week’s episode, Ashley highlights the women whose groundbreaking work changed the way we understand victims, criminals, and forensic evidence. At the center of the episode is Ann Burgess, the forensic nurse whose research on rape trauma and violent offenders helped shape modern criminal profiling and transform the FBI’s approach to investigating serial killers. Ashley also explores the con...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses serial murder, sexual violence, violence against sex workers, dismemberment, and details involving unidentified human remains. Listener discretion is advised. In this update episode, Kat revisits the Long Island Serial Killer case after Rex Heuermann’s stunning 2026 guilty plea. We walk through the expanded timeline, the eight women he admitted to killing, t...

In this week's episode, Ashley discusses the doomsday cult with cats-- how it began, the many cults it was before it became Eva's Eden, and the horrible experiences of those who were members. This episode covers cults, cats, the apocalypse, a murder attempt and more. Join us as we explore the dark side of humanity. Resources: https://vicomanija.com/en/sheryl-ruthven-biography-american-re...

In this week’s episode, Kat explores the story of Lisa Knoefel, a woman who opened her home to offer safety, stability, and a second chance. Instead, she brought something far more dangerous inside. In November 2012, Lisa was killed in her own home—but what followed would reveal something far more calculated… and far more personal. And the person responsible might not be who you think. Grab a drin...

In this week's episode Ashley discusses the unsolved case of the double murder of the Shorts' and the abduction of their 9 year old daughter, Jennifer Short. On August 15, 2002 Michael and Mary Short were shot by an intruder execution-style. Their daughter was taken. Who killed them? Why did they take Jennifer? Join us as we discuss this case and what has been discovered over the years....

In this week's episode, Ashley discusses the double murder of Ray and Ruth Raycroft and the attempted murder of their teenage daughter, Colleen. Collen was dating a man named Rick who just couldn't handle rejection. Take a listen as Ashley discusses the lives and murders of Ray and Ruth.  If you are being stalked or feel like you're life is in danger due to an ex partner, please con...

In this week's episode Ashley covers a case submitted to us by our listener Katie. The disappearance of Phylicia Thomas is a heartbreaking one. All Phylicia was trying to do is solve the disappearance of her friend Jennifer Barziloski and got too close to finding out the truth. This episode discusses Jennifer's disappearance, the people involved, and the theories of what happened to Phyl...

In the tiny farming town of Skidmore, Missouri, nearly fifty people stood on Main Street and watched Ken McElroy die in broad daylight. When police arrived, every single witness said the same thing. “I didn’t see anything.” In this episode, Kat dives into the story of the man known as the “town bully,” the decades of fear that built up in Skidmore, and the shocking day when an entire town closed r...

We're a little late, but Happy 7th Anniversary to US! If you've been listening to us that long -WE LOVE YOU! If you're a new listener, we LOVE YOU, TOO! Thanks, y'all - we truly mean that.  This week, Kat dives into the case of Brenda Andrew, the only woman on death row in Oklahoma. What began as a churchgoing suburban marriage ended in an affair, a bitter divorce and custody f...

They say twins have unbreakable bonds. Ones where they develop secret twin languages, intense connections and experiences, and so on. But what about twins that display erratic, completely psychotic behavior together? In this episode, Ashley discusses Ursula and Sabina Eriksson, identical twins from Sweden.  Two women stood in the median of one of the busiest highways in the country. Then, one afte...

** Listener discretion advised. This episode discusses stalking, domestic violence, and intimate partner homicide.** As January marks Stalking Awareness Month , Kat introduces us to Dominique “Nique” Leili - a devoted moom navigating a troubled marriage—& a victim of escalating control & surveillance that ultimately turned deadly.   In 2011, Dominique disappeared in Gwinnett County, Georgi...

In this week's episode, Ashley discusses the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman, a 9 year old child from Arlington, TX in 1996. Her case led to the creation of the AMBER Alert system as well as the national sex offenders registry list amongst many other positive law changes involving how we treat child abductions. We discuss some of the laws plus international variations of the AMBER aler...

OneTaste marketed itself as a sexual wellness company focused on women’s empowerment through a practice called orgasmic meditation . But, federal prosecutors say something far more troubling was happening. In this episode, Kat breaks down the rise and fall of OneTaste and its founder, Nicole Daedone.  Content warning: This episode includes discussion of coercive control, sexual exploitation, traum...

We originally covered this story in our first season; however since our first season is no longer available, Ashley wanted to redo it and add in the newest updates.  Brian Shaffer went out with his friend drinking, he is seen entering the bar but never seen exiting. He has not been seen or head from since. In this episode, Ashley discusses the disappearance, the case and the many theories. Resourc...

It's time for Part 2 of Kat's deep dive into the monster that is Ed Gein. References: “Ed Gein.” Wikipedia –  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein “Ed Gein.” Britannica – biographical overview and case summary. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ed-Gein “Real-Life Psycho Ed Gein Dies.” History.com ( https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-26/real-life-psycho-ed-gein-dies Crim...

 In 1957, a missing-person call in small-town Wisconsin led police to a farmhouse that would redefine horror forever. What they found inside Ed Gein’s home shocked the nation — and inspired Psycho , The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , and The Silence of the Lambs . Kat takes you deep into the chilling true story behind “The Butcher of Plainfield” — a quiet, lonely man whose obsession with his mother an...