Cafecito & Crime

In today's episode, we cover Reddit stories! In our second episode, we tell four stories that consist of stalkers, being locked in a sauna, and owing a biker gang $260,000.  So, join us for today's episode, grab your cafeicto, and let's get started.  You can keep up with us on Instagram at @cafecitoandcrimepod Or you can send us a nice email to cafecitoandcrimepod@gmail.com

In the very early hours of December 25, 1945, the Sodder family, which consisted of parents George and Jennie and their 10 children, was asleep in their beds when the home caught fire. Georgie, Jennie, and four of their children rushed out of the home, yelling for the other five to run out too, but they didn’t hear them rushing downstairs. Multiple attempts were made to rescue the children and get...

What was supposed to be a regular winter day on February 7, 2015, turned out to be 69-year-old Ron Browning’s last day alive. His wife of just nine months, Rexanna, found it strange that he hadn’t contacted her all day, as she had spent it away from home with her family. When she made it home early evening, she stumbled across the most brutal scene with Ron lying on a massive pool of blood, dead. ...

On July 15, 1976, school bus driver Ed Ray was driving a bus full of children home from a fun summer day trip to the pool. However, just after 4 pm, the unexpected happened that would change their lives forever. Three men with nylon stockings covering their faces and guns hijacked the bus, which carried children ranging from the ages of 5 to 14. The following 36 hours after the kidnapping were har...

In this episode, we'll be trying out a new segment on the podcast where we will read crime-related, creepy, ominous stories from people who experienced them (supposedly).  The first story is about a young woman who a friend almost killed because of a boy she had been obsessed with for years. The second is about another young woman who was picked up on the side of the road by someone trying to...

When 15-year-old Kirsten Costas left her home on the night of June 23, 1984, she was attending a secret initiation dinner for the Bobbies, a philanthropic school club. However, she soon found out that was not the case, when another member of the Bobbies picked her up to attend a party instead. The two girls made a stop at a church parking lot before heading there, but things soon took a turn which...

In July 2022, 20-year-old Jay Lee was living his life to the fullest. The popular University of Mississippi student was openly gay and well-liked in the LGBTQ+ community. But when Jay disappeared without a trace on July 8, it was believed to be due to his sexual orientation. As the investigation began, detectives found leads pointing to someone who didn’t want people to know he and Jay had some so...

When Yingying Zhang arrived in Illinois as a visiting scholar from China, she was filled with excitement, knowing that this opportunity would help advance her academic career. After arriving in late April 2017, she concentrated on her research and began to settle into a routine. However, what was meant to be a wonderful opportunity turned into an unimaginable tragedy.  On June 9, after Yingying di...

In the afternoon of January 13, 2010, 16-year-old twin sisters, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah, ran out of their home and flagged down a passing police car. They informed the officer that their mother appeared to be dead. Inside the home, 34-year-old Nikkie appeared to have been the victim of a brutal attack and was, in fact, deceased. As the investigation into the murder began, there were a couple of stro...

On Friday, May 11, 2007, the Haines family spent quality time together, having dinner and watching a movie before they all went to bed. What they were unaware of was that just hours later, 3 of its 4 members would be brutally killed. For weeks into the investigation, there were no leads or suspects, but then, out of seemingly nowhere, the killer confessed.  Join us for today’s case to learn what h...

On February 24, 2020, 911 dispatch received a call from 42-year-old Sarah Boone informing them that her boyfriend was dead and that she needed help. When officers arrived at the scene, they had no idea what they were about to walk into. Not only was 42-year-old Jorge Torres dead, but he had died due to being left inside a suitcase after the couple decided to play hide and seek. During the investig...

When 41-year-old chef Joe Vuli didn't show up for work on Monday, April 6, 2004, his business partner and nephew, Marash Gojcaj, wasn't too concerned. His uncle, Joe, tended to take a breather when things got too hectic at their restaurant, Gusto. After a couple of days of not hearing from Joe, he was reported missing by Marash and Joe's brother on April 8. The investigation into hi...

On the night of October 5, 1997, 14-year-old Lauren Barry and 16-year-old Nichole Collins planned to walk to a party around 9 pm. Since the girls came from small, safe towns, they didn’t believe they were in danger. Sadly, that was the last night they were seen alive by their friends and family. After the girls didn’t show up the next morning, a large search began, but it yielded no results. Weeks...

When a couple of young women, Christine Vu and Wendie Prestcott, who lived in the same apartment complex, were sexually assaulted and killed at the end of 1996, fear gripped the Arlington, Texas community. Despite investigators finding physical evidence at the crime scenes, the killer remained at large for years. It wasn't until 2000, when the FBI introduced new technology, that police finall...

On the night of December 30, 2000, the Miyazawa family had no idea that they would not live to see the following morning. The Miyazawas consisted of the father, Mikio, the mother, Yasuko, and their children, 8-year-old Niina and 6-year-old Rei. When Yasuko's mother, who lived next door, went to check on her daughter, whom she hadn't been able to contact, she made a horrifying discovery....

On the night of March 25, 1996, 15-year-old Joey Martin had plans to meet his best friends for a night of drinking and comet-watching. The following morning, when Joey wasn't on the school bus, his older brother, Bill, knew something was wrong. As the Martin family begins to search for Joey with friends, their slight worry turns into full panic as they realize no one has seen or heard from Jo...

When Adam Baker connected with a woman named Elisa online and started exchanging messages, he believed he had fallen in love. So much so that he moved himself and his young daughter, Zahra, from Australia to America to be with her. What no one ever expected was that Zahra's life would be marred by abuse from Elisa, tragically, leading to her death. Elisa quickly became a person of interest, a...

In 1980, 18-year-old Katherine Foster was in her freshman year of college at the University of South Alabama. She was thriving academically and personally and was excited about the future. But one afternoon in late February, Katherine failed to meet friends for lunch and later that day missed a class, which was out of character for her. Family and friends knew something was wrong, and she was repo...

In the morning of April 2001, a large explosion shook a suburban neighborhood in southern Scottsdale, Arizona. When first responders arrived, they learned that a home had been completely burned to the ground. Tragically, inside the rubble of what was left, three bodies were found: 10-year-old Bobby Fisher, 12-year-old Brittney Fisher, and 38-year-old Mary Fisher. But one member of the family was m...

In 1980, 25-year-old Karin Strom was finally taking her life back and starting over. She filed for divorce from her abusive husband< Steve, and left the couple’s home. However, her new lease on life was cut short when Karin was found murdered in the bedroom of the house she had once shared with Steve.  As the investigation begins, all signs point to Steve being Karin’s killer. But physical evid...

Ronald Cohen sold his home in Jericho, Long Island, in September 1999, and was ecstatic about it. The only thing left for him to do was remove a 55-gallon drum barrel from a crawlspace in the basement, per the new homeowner. That barrel had been in the home when Ronald initially moved many years earlier. Even back then, he tried to open the barrel but was unsuccessful, so he left it where he found...

The Stockdale family was known in their community as a wholesome, tight-knit, loving family. Tim and Kathy raised their four sons, Calvin, Charles, Jacob, and James extremly sheltered from the rest of the world to keep them safe. They were not allowed to do a lot of what is considered normal for kids to do, such as watch TV and play video games amongts other things.  So, when ABC's reality TV...

America was introduced to Ariel Robinson, a teacher, during the 20th season of the Food Network's competition show "Worst Cooks in America," which aired in summer 2020. She won the competition and was awarded $25,000, which she stated she would use to help expand her family. Soon after, she and her husband, Jerry, went on to foster multiple children, including a 3-year-old girl name...

Every year for Christmas, Jean Wholaver and her family would make the drive to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to spend the holiday with her parents. In 2002, the plan was no different than it had been in previous years. However, this year, Jean and her daughters, Vicky and Izzy, would never make it to her parents’ home on Christmas Eve. The following day, Jean, Vicky and Izzy were found murdered in thei...

When 50-year-old Bill Hall Jr. was driving his motorcycle on October 10, 2013, he never imagined that it would be the last time he rode it. During a vehicle chase on the Texas Highway 1604 between Bill's wife, Frances Hall, and another woman he was seeing, Bonnie Contreras, Bill was run over and lost his life. After Bill’s death, Frances was arrested and charged with his murder.  However, she...