Floodlights

Ask anyone in Hoopa, California about Hoopa Tribal member Barbara Jean McNeil and they'll tell you the same thing: She was the sweetest woman. So, what exactly happened on the night she was beaten to death? What drove a person to murder her in such a violent way? And is the person responsible still walking around Hoopa to this day? Do you have a story you'd like to see covered on Floodlights? Foll...

On this week’s rereleased bonus episode, we're covering the case of missing woman, Emmilee Risling. In October 2021, Hoopa Tribe member, Emmilee Risling, vanished from an isolated part of the Yurok Reservation in Northern California. But her story is not just about being a missing person, it’s about an entire system that failed to protect her when she needed help. What you should also know is that...

How did Floodlights come to be? Originally aired in July 2024, this bonus episode explains how Floodlights was founded. JOIN US IN THE FLOOD ROOM Today, we're launching the Flood Room which is our interactive true crime platform. In the Flood Room, you’ll be able to watch new and extended interviews, see maps, case documents, discuss theories, go behind the scenes for each episode and join communi...

We have a new fan of Floodlights! JOIN US IN THE FLOOD ROOM Today, we're launching the Flood Room which is our interactive true crime platform. In the Flood Room, you’ll be able to watch new and extended interviews, see maps, case documents, discuss theories, go behind the scenes for each episode and join community calls with investigators and the rest of our Floodlights team. We're been working o...

In the summer of 2024, an investigator reached out to Floodlights to warn us about a Medicaid fraud scheme targeting people on reservations. Today, that investigator is interviewed under the name of "Liza." In this episode, Liza explains how organized groups are actively working to trick vulnerable people on reservations who want to get sober. The scheme, which essentially defrauds Medicaid for mi...

What are the chances that, in the same area just a few months apart, three young women all go missing and are all found murdered? In this episode, we take you to the East Bay near San Francisco where Elaine Davis, Leona Roberts and Cosette Ellison were all kidnapped from their homes. But what we also ask in this episode is why American suburbia seems safer to so many of us even when these types of...

After attending a celebration at a local bar in Dulce, New Mexico, Melissa Montoya walked towards the back of the bar and was never seen again. More than two decades later, questions continue to swirl about the events of that night and the aftermath. From disturbing stories about her former boyfriend, to his mysterious death after her disappearance, Melissa's story has been overlooked for too long...

Daniel Robinson was last seen leaving his job site in Buckeye, Arizona on June 23rd, 2021. The 24 year old hydro-geologist reportedly began driving westward in his Jeep before vanishing. His family have not seen or heard from him since that day. Earlier this year, we interviewed Daniel's father, David Robinson, who broke down the timeline of his son's case. In this UPDATES episode, we provide you...

You may have heard the phrase “missing and murdered indigenous women.” It’s movement that’s gained a lot of traction largely thanks to Native populations speaking up.  But, in reality, Indigenous men are also at risk of violence. Sometimes, I think we forget that.  Native people are roughly 10 times more likely to experience violence compared to the rest of the population. So, in this episode, we’...

42-year-old Melissa Montoya endured years of abuse at the hands of her partner. But in 2001, she vanished during a night out with friends in Dulce, New Mexico. In this episode, we interview Darlene Gomez, a relative, friend and lawyer who is fighting to find out what happened to Melissa -- and many other Indigenous people who are missing on Tribal lands. Do you have a story you'd like to see cover...

Ask anyone in Hoopa, California, about Hoopa Tribal member Barbara Jean McNeil and they'll tell you the same thing: She was the sweetest woman. So, what exactly happened on the night she was beaten to death? What drove a person to murder her in such a violent way? And is the person responsible still walking around Hoopa to this day? Do you have a story you'd like to see covered on Floodlights? Fol...

In October 2021, Hoopa Tribe member, Emmilee Risling, vanished from an isolated part of the Yurok Reservation in Northern California. But her story is not just about being a missing person, it’s about an entire system that failed to protect her when she needed help. What you should also know is that Emmilee is the cousin of our Floodlights producer, Jack Kohler. When we describe this podcast as a...

In December 2023, Trey Allen Glass, a member of the United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma, leaves his family home with two friends. This is the last time anyone in his family will see him alive. For months, no one sees or hears from Trey but, in April 2024, a former police chief discovers Trey in a well on his property after briefly interacting with Trey on the last night his family sees him. Today, T...

Former police officer, Mark Pooley, found his life changed forever when a serious illness stopped him in his tracks. Now, he's finding missing people through revolutionary technology. Listen to how Mark is leading the way for not just Native families with missing loved ones, but non-Natives who are going through the same trauma. Do you have a story you'd like to see covered on Floodlights? Follow...

This episode was originally released on 07/08/2024. We're re-releasing it today in the hopes that someone, somewhere, knows information about Terri Lynn McCloskey's unsolved murder. When 26 year-old Yurok Tribal Member Terri Lynn goes missing, no one could understand why anyone would have wanted to hurt this bright young woman. But nearly 40 years later, many questions remain. Where is the police...

What exactly happened to Trey Allen Glass, Cole Brings Plenty and Noah Presgrove? In this episode, we take you through the mysterious deaths of three young men which remain shrouded in mystery, from a well in rural Oklahoma, to a dark empty road on the Chickasaw Nation. Trey, Cole and Noah were all at the beginning of adulthood before they died. Today, we ask our listeners this question: Who knows...

In 2012, Faith Hedgepeth (Haliwa Saponi) was murdered in her off campus apartment in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At the time, she was a promising student at UNC. In 2021, almost a decade after Faith's death, Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares was arrested and charged with her murder. But in 2024, he is still awaiting trial. In this interview episode, Consuela Richardson, Faith's cousin, discusses w...

In our first ever update episode, we discuss where Terri Lynn McCloskey (Yurok) may have headed shortly before her death. Thanks to members of law enforcement tuning in to Floodlights and providing thoughtful insights to our team, we offer some potential clarity on this unsolved murder. If you haven't listened to Terri Lynn's story yet, please search "Terri Lynn" in our feed -- her case is our fir...

On two rural roads on the Yurok Reservation, two trucks belonging to two missing men are found within weeks of each other as the Covid 19 pandemic unfolds. This episode covers the cases of Nick Vigil and Virgil Bussell Jr. (Hoopa Tribe), both of whom remain missing. So, what happened to these two men? And what is the link, if any, between their cases? You can follow the show @floodlightspod. Episo...

From the creator of The Vanishing Point, Floodlights is a weekly true crime show covering major crimes impacting Tribal nations. From the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, to scandals and conspiracies created by an unfair legal system, Floodlights investigates the stories America needs to hear now. Hosted by investigative journalist, Laura Frater. Follow Laura @lauraelizabethfrater...

What's it like to cover, as a journalist, your own missing family members, friends, and neighbors? This week we talk with Allie Hostler, editor of the Two Rivers Tribune, a local newspaper in the Hoopa Valley on the Hoopa Reservation. Hoopa is home to many Tribal Nations including the Hoopa, Karuk and Yurok Tribes. Allie shares her “day in the life” as a newspaper editor, what it’s like reporting...

On February 8th, 2018, Khadijah Britton (Round Valley Tribe) was forced into a car at gunpoint by her ex-boyfriend, Negie Fallis, on the Covelo Reservation in California. In this week's episode, former police officer Trent James, who worked Khadijah's case, explains what led up to her disappearance and what he believes happened to Khadijah after her kidnapping. Anyone with information regarding Kh...

Angela McConnell (Hoopa) and her boyfriend, Michael Bingham Jr., were found dead on a road near his family's property in Northern California. Years later, the case has been put through multiple detectives -- and a private investigator -- with no answers and only cryptic suggestions as to who is responsible. Meanwhile, in the state of Washington, Mary Johnson (Tulalip) remains missing after she wal...

On June 23rd, 2021, geologist Daniel Robinson left his job site in Buckeye, Arizona - an area within one to two hours of multiple Indian reservations. Since then, there have been no confirmed sightings of Daniel. In this week's episode of Floodlights, we interview David Robinson, Daniel's father, who walks us through Daniel's case. From questions about when and where Daniel's car was located to th...

In October 2021, 33 year-old Emmilee Risling spent a few nights at the home of an acquaintance at the "End of the Road" on the Yurok Reservation. After she supposedly left, Emmilee was never seen or heard from again. In this episode, we interview Judge Victorio Shaw, a cousin of Emmilee, who explains how federal and state law contributed not only to the MMIP crisis, but the challenges associated w...