Among the Dirt and Trees

The Seattle Jungle Killer. The Seattle Shoelace Slasher. Chilly Willy. These are just a few of the names that DeWayne Lee Harris has gone by throughout the years. Following two years of murderous terror, he was eventually charged for the murders of three women—but Harris implied that he might have a lot more names on his list of victims. Are these the words of an honest man, or is this just anothe...

Karen Roston was married to her husband, Scott Roston, for nine days before she was murdered on their honeymoon. In his story, Karen was knocked overboard by a gust of wind while running at three o’clock in the morning. When the Coast Guard found her body, it would tell a different story. A thousand lies later, authorities would learn that Scott had a shady relationship with the truth—but how did...

Ben and Olivia were a couple of friends looking to make the most out of their New Year’s celebration together. They had plans to attend a party at a lodge and then spend the night on a yacht—but when they finally arrived at the yacht on a water taxi, they were shocked to learn that the yacht was full. A fellow passenger aboard the water taxi would offer them a place to sleep—on his own yacht—and t...

Marianne and Christine were only fifteen years old when they went for a trip to the beach with Marianne’s siblings in 1965. When a windstorm set in, the girls would run to collect the bags they stashed at the beach—but they would never return. A day later, they would be found brutally murdered on that same beach. Theories would fill the news, blaming notorious serial killers, unnamed pedophiles, a...

Dan Cooper was the name given when a man with a plan boarded an airplane back in 1971. He would go on to hijack the plane by using the threat of a bomb, ordering the flight crew to land the plan and meet his demands. After refueling and picking up the $200,000 and military-grade parachutes he requested, he would force the crew to take to the skies once again, this time aiming for Mexico. Halfway t...

Philip Ashton was fishing in 1722 when he was abducted by pirates. Instead of killing him, they dragged him around the world, eventually landing on the then uninhabited Roatan, where he would make his daring escape. His story would make headlines, but not everyone believed it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...

Hey, guys! This is an interview that I did back when ATDAT first started. If you’re interested in learning more about me, the show, or the indie podcaster experience, you can learn all about it here. Among the Dirt and Trees has surpassed 50,000 downloads—and it just keeps going up. Thank you so much for all of your support! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...

Joan Rische was a happy suburban mother and wife having a perfectly average day when her children arrived home to discover something confusing. Her young daughter would say that her mother was gone—and that the house was painted red. Police would lead a full investigation, finding a home covered in blood with rumors about a disheveled woman stumbling up the highway carrying something red. They ass...

David Stack was eighteen when he made the decision to go visit family in California. He had one simple plan: hitchhiking. Unfortunately, David never showed up. But the day after he disappeared, a body was found in Utah. 39 years would pass before he would be identified. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. S...

Percy Fawcett was a known explorer and cartographer who lived a life of pure adventure. In 1924, Percy and his son, Jack, joined forces with Raleigh Rimell to venture into the Amazon in search of a lost city known only as Z. The day that they walked into the jungle was the last day that they were ever seen alive—but mystery surrounds their disappearance. What stopped these three adventurers from r...

Russell and Shirley Dermond were elderly retirees living their best lives when they failed to arrive at a social gathering with friends. Concerned, a neighbor would check on them, only to find their door unlocked—and Russell dead on the floor. Shirley was missing, and when they found her, it was more bad news. Were they killed for their money? Or was this a personal attack? See Privacy Policy at h...

Marvin Clark was headed to Portland to visit his daughter for Halloween when he vanished without a trace. Knowing that he had a disability, family feared that something might have gone wrong during his travels—or that someone might have harmed him. When he failed to return, people would speculate where he ended up. His case would remain unsolved, but someone else would be found instead. Someone un...

Roy Wilson, Edward Nickols, and Dewey Morris were three fur trappers out in the woods during a frigid winter when they disappeared in 1924. A trail of gore would lead police to the nearby frozen lake, but they needed to wait for it to thaw to look for more evidence. The lake would tell quite the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...

Amy Bechtel was 24 when she went for a run to train for a 10K and never came home. The belief that she was injured while out on the trail fell through when it became clear that Amy wasn’t anywhere in the area—and police had their suspicions regarding what happened. Was Amy a victim of an abusive husband, or was she picked off by an unexpected predator out on the trail? See Privacy Policy at https:...

Katherine Van Alst was eight years old when she vanished in the Ozarks while camping with her family. Six days later, she would be found hiding in a cave—alive. It was a miracle, but some of her story just didn’t seem to add up. Let’s explore the prevailing theories surrounding her mysterious disappearance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar...

Twenty-year-old Grace Brown was building a new life working as a factory worker while living with her sister. Everything changed when she met Chester Gillette, the nephew of the factory owner. After a secret whirlwind romance, Grace was pregnant and begging Chester to marry her—lest she be ruined in society’s eyes. In response, he offered to take her away on a trip. Grace thought that she was gett...

Tristan Beaudette went camping with his two toddlers and planned to have a good time. Come bedtime, he would be shot dead in the tent, leaving two clueless babies behind. This killer made several attempts on the public in this area—and police didn’t share it—what happened? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

Ebony Wilkerson was a pregnant mother of three when it became clear that something was wrong. Suddenly, Ebony was concerned about the demons in her house—and she was expressing a newfound interest in religion. These delusions would ultimately lead Ebony to drive her minivan and her children into the Ocean. But, this story isn’t as sad as you would think. It just raised a lot of questions that no o...

The Mary Russell was on a routine run in 1828 when the crew picked up a disgraced first-mate from another ship. Captain Stewart, the esteemed captain aboard the Mary Russell, reluctantly agreed to get the man home. A few nights later, he would have a dream that his new guest had plans to lead a mutiny with his crew. This would all be fine, but Captain Stewart was convinced that his dream was a mes...

Sidnie Waller and her friend Jennifer Rae Xavier went out for a fun night of drinking, then climbed into Jennifer’s car to head somewhere new. Jennifer, under the influence of alcohol and Xanax, crashed the car, causing it to flip upside down in a creek. Jennifer made it out alive, but Sidnie did not. This is a sad story, and a reminder that drunk driving is a crime. The GoFundMe for Sidnie’s fami...

Christine Marie Salley was an adoptee who made the brave decision to seek out her birth parents with the help of a private investigator. Her exploration would lead her to learn who her mother was, but instead of a family reunion, Christine found herself in the middle of a murder investigation. The details would prove to be worse than anyone could imagine. Much worse. See Privacy Policy at https://...

Julie Ann Hanson was 15 when she failed to return home from a baseball game. Her killer would walk free—until 50 years later. Let’s explore how this rapist and murderer was brought to justice in 2021 after several decades of dodging his horrific crimes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy...

Hazel Drew was a young woman with big ambitions, but at a tragically young age, she was struck down by a murderer. Found bloated and dead in a local pond, her neighbors demanded justice. Who killed Hazel—and why did they do it? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv...

William Moldt went missing after he left a nightclub for the evening and never returned home. For twenty-two years, he was missing—until one day when a stranger he never met saw something suspicious on a Google Earth search. It would take a group of neighbors to uncover the truth about what happened, and it wasn’t quite what anyone expected. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali...

Alexander Pichushkin was four years old when he was struck in the head with a swing, changing him forever. He would go on to make his first kill at 18. Learn how this killer lured his victims into the woods—ultimately amassing 61 in total. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...