The Deck

Our card this week is Alexander WInspeare, the Jack of Clubs from Florida. At 93, Alexander Winspeare had been through a lot in his long life. He was a veteran of World War I, proudly serving his country. If anyone had earned the right to die with dignity and grace, it was him. But instead, he was murdered in 1987. And 37 years later, police are still on the hunt for his killer. If you know anythi...

Our card this week is Timothy Zimmerman, the 8 of Spades from Indiana.  Timothy Zimmerman, an active member of his community and property owner in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was violently murdered at one of his properties in 2007. Despite several clues being left behind at the messy crime scene, Timothy’s homicide has never been solved.  If you know anything about the stabbing death of Timothy Zimmerman...

Our card this week is Loni Kai Okaruru, the 5 of Hearts from Oregon. Loni Kai Okaruru made several stops on the morning of August 26, 2001, and interacted with several people, before she was beaten to death, her body left on a farm in Washington County, Oregon. Loni Kai’s murder was quickly labeled by police as a hate crime, but decades later her killer is still unknown.  Note: An earlier version...

A while back, our team at audiochuck received an email from Kirsten Leonard’s family asking us if we would cover her case. Specifically, the email was sent by her nephew, Karsten, who’s named in memory of his aunt… an aunt he never got the chance to meet. That’s because in June 1986, at just 22 years old, Kirsten was murdered in what can only be described as a senseless and brutal crime. If you ha...

In the spring of 2000, a 24-year-old woman was found floating in a Citrus County, Florida canal. Though answers have eluded authorities for more than two decades, a present-day sergeant is hoping that putting her story in the spotlight may help reveal the truth. If you know anything about the murder of Renee Rosita Harris, you can call the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office at 352-249-2790 and ask for...

Our card this week is Twana Smith, the 7 of Clubs from Connecticut.  When Twana Smith’s body was discovered behind an abandoned building in Hartford in October 1997, she joined a growing list of the city’s vulnerable locals who fell victim to violent predators. And for decades, her case sat unsolved, gathering dust… even as detectives found the keys to unlock mysteries from the same era. But after...

Our card this week is Debra Espey, the 6 of Clubs from Florida.  A college campus in broad daylight in a town literally called “Niceville” might be one of the last places you’d expect a young collegiate to disappear from, but in March 1973, that’s exactly what happened. Debra Espey’s case spans more than 50 years, includes a primary suspect from the beginning, and has long been thought to have con...

Our card this week is Lola Katherine “Kathy” Fry, the 3 of Clubs from Indiana.  28-year-old Lola, AKA Kathy, Kat, or Lolabee, as her family lovingly called her, was excited for a fresh start just before the holidays in 1993. She’d just left her job at an Indianapolis nightclub and was wrapping up the process of moving two hours northeast of Fort Wayne to live with her older sister. Kathy was plann...

Our card this week is Kemberly Ramer, the 6 of Clubs from Florida. In 1997, 17-year-old Kemberly Ramer had big goals of getting out of her small town. She made great grades, was a star athlete, and was well-liked by her peers. Heading into her senior year, she already had plans to go to college to become a physical therapist, and there was no question, she had the brains and the talent to do just...

Our card this week is Rose Marie Gayhart, the Queen of Diamonds from New York. When 23-year-old Rose Gayhart left Dansville, New York with her boyfriend for Cape Coral, Florida in December of 1984, she was looking for a fresh start. But as Rose hugged her sister goodbye on that cold December day, neither of them could have imagined that it would be the last hug they’d ever share… or that within 3...

Our card this week is Roy Frisch, the 6 of Spades from Nevada. Dubbed “the most famous missing man in Nevada” by local press, Roy Frisch was a bright light during an otherwise dark, lawless time in 1930s Reno. Yes, you read that right… 1930s . This is the oldest case we’ve covered so far on this show. Roy disappeared almost 90 years ago, so while it’s not possible to punish those responsible for h...

Our cards this week are Nicole M. Saylor and Kayla M. Harris, the 7 and 8 of Hearts from Indiana.  When three women are ambushed by a gunman in the early morning hours of a cold November Indiana night, investigators are left to sort through the complicated relationships of one, asking themselves who would want to hurt these women, and why.  If you know anything about the murders of Nicole Saylor a...

Our card this week is Charles and Jennifer Chia, the Jack of Diamonds from Nevada.  Charles and Jennifer Chia could see their apartment complex from their school bus stop – that’s how close to their building it was. Such a small distance for something to go so terribly wrong . But a couple hundred feet is all it took for someone to stop the Chia siblings from making it home safely. That person has...

Our card this week is Andrea Durham, the Ace of Clubs from Florida. Revisiting a place that holds bad memories isn’t for the faint of heart. Just pulling up to a specific location can bring on anxiety about the past trauma that once took place there. Even decades later, that sinking feeling doesn’t go away. Until recently, Ashyea Durham Pugh hadn’t been back to the scene since that mostly blocked-...

Our card this week is Belinda VanLith, the Queen of Hearts from Minnesota. This is part 2 of her story.   Last week we walked through the initial investigation into the nearly 5-decade-old missing person case of 17-year-old Belinda VanLith. Despite her disappearance essentially being considered a runaway case by police initially, they had quickly come around to the possibility that perhaps Belinda...

Our card this week is Belinda VanLith, the Queen of Hearts from Minnesota. This is part 1 of her story. Belinda’s story has held a special place in our hearts for a very long time. Back in August of 2022, her family reached out to the team here at audiochuck requesting we cover her case. We told Belinda’s family we’d try, and for months we did try – we reached out to the investigating agency on mu...

Our card this week is Deshawana Wilkerson, the 3 of Clubs from Ohio.  Deshawna was a bright, recent high-school graduate who was so excited for her future in nursing. She loved helping others, and she wanted to make it her career. But late one night in October 2001, someone saw to it that Deshawna would never have a chance to help anyone ever again. If you know what Sam’s phone number or numbers w...

Nuestra carta esta semana es Manuel Mosqueda Ruiz, el 5 de tréboles de la Florida. Lo que comenzó como una búsqueda del sueño americano terminó siendo una tragedia. Manuel trabajaba en trabajos de construcción en Atlanta, GA, y Freeport, FL, hasta que fue encontrado tirado a lo largo de un camino de tierra en Freeport el 16 de agosto del 2004.  Después de 20 años de preguntas sin respuestas, los d...

Our card this week is Manuel Mozqueda Ruiz, the 5 of Clubs from Florida.  What began as a pursuit of the American dream ended in tragedy on August 16th, 2004. Manuel was working construction jobs in Atlanta, GA, and Freeport, FL – until he was murdered and dumped along a dirt road in Freeport.  After 20 years of only questions and no answers… detectives finally got the tip they’d been waiting on....

Our card this week is Georgia Smith, the 8 of Hearts from Minnesota.  In 1999, 76-year-old Georgia had plans to spend the Fourth of July with her family at her lakeside cabin over in Wisconsin. But a few days before they were all set to leave, Georgia said she needed to go there early… on her own. When her family eventually showed up to celebrate, they quickly realized this holiday wouldn’t be any...

Our card this week is Jacqueline Brown, the King of Spades from Ohio. Jacqueline Brown and her coworkers went out on July 12th, 1985 to cash their paychecks and celebrate payday with some drinks. Instead, the night ended in tragedy when residents in another part of town were awoken to find Jacqueline shot and begging for help. And while first responders may not have been able to save her, detectiv...

Our card this week is Stanley "Stosh" Stowik, Sr., the 2 of Hearts from Rhode Island.  October 9th, 2015, was supposed to be a normal, routine Friday for 80-year-old Stanley. But what unfolded in his home that night was anything but ordinary – and it set in motion a chilling mystery that still stumps detectives all these years later.  If you know anything about the murder of Stanley “Stosh” Stowik...

Our card this week is Ruth Carter, the King of Diamonds from Ohio. When 50-year-old Ruth Carter was found murdered in her home in Dayton, Ohio, suspicions immediately turned to her former roommate. But no physical evidence could tie him to the scene, and years started to tick by without any leads to point investigators to her killer, until 2005, when a young man came forward with information that...

Our card this week is Clarissa Castro, the King of Hearts from California. One fall day in 1991, 14-year-old Clarissa vanished into thin air after a night of hanging out with friends. Years later, the mystery of where she disappeared to would be solved, but that discovery would open up a whole new world of unknowns. If you know anything about the murder of 14-year-old Clarissa Castro in 1991, plea...

Our card this week is Tira Snyder, the Jack of Hearts from Washington.  The afternoon of July 1st, 1985, was supposed to be a mundane Monday for Tira Snyder. The 19-year-old wife and mother was going to run some errands and make dinner before her husband got home from work. Nothing that day went as planned. And Dave Snyder would never get another mundane day with his wife again. If you know anythi...