Midwest Mystery Files

In October of 1978, a phone crew was working in a rural area of Lyon County, Iowa. One of the workers would stumble across the body of a deceased woman. She did not have any identification, and damage to her face made it impossible to know what she looked like. It would take 27 years for her to be identified. Once identified, her tragic life story, which began nowhere near the midwest began to be...

In March of 1988, 18 year old Morehead University student Scott HIlbert returned home to Milford, Ohio for spring break. While his family was out of the home, Scott left a note stating that he was leaving for Columbus to see some friends, he would never arrive, and several weeks later a discovery in Arizona would lead to more questions than answers.  Next, In Owensboro, Kentucky. 56 year old Wilbu...

It was a cool day in October of 1976. A farmer in Benton County, Indiana was working hard to catch up on harvest. It had rained for several days beforehand, and Norman Skoog was working against the rain tarnished terrain to get his work done. While driving his combine through the corn, he suddenly came upon a box in the middle of his path, Norman was able to stop just shy of colliding with the the...

Thirteen year old Rachel Mellon Skemp was an average middle school girl. She loved music, playing with her friends, and attending church. In January of 1996, on an unforgivingly cold Illinois Winter Day, Rachel would stay home from school, complaining of a sore throat. Her mother would go to work, and her step siblings to school. Her step father, Vince would remain home. In the mid afternoon after...

In October of 2021, a young girl would run from her home after her mom would arrive home and break up the gathering taking place inside. Shortly afterwards, in the early hours of the morning she would be seen at the residence of another friend, before exiting the home at the behest of the friend's stepfather. She would then go into the cold Minnesota night, and aside from one unconfirmed sighting...

It was a cold, frigid night in February of 2001. It was approximately 10:00 PM and a local police officer was patrolling the quiet streets of Pine River, Minnesota. The officer was driving by Ultimate Liquors when he noticed a car running in the parking lot with no one inside of it. The officer knew the vehicle belonged to the clerk, 50 year old Rachel Anthony, who had most likely started her car...

Joe Bova was a man living the good life. He was married with a good job and a prominent position in his local union. He was well liked by everyone including neighbors, coworkers, fellow union members, members of his church, and the community of Merrillville, Indiana at large. One cool September morning however. A large explosion would rock the streets of Merrillville, shattering the quiet peace of...

2003. Thirteen year old Rebecca Williams had just finished up her eighth grade year at Morton Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time she was living with her mother, but was set to move to Las Vegas, Nevada to live with her father. On a normal June day, she would leave her home in the Park Meadows Mobile Home Community and head to a nearby playground. When she failed to return home, her moth...

I'm trying to do some additional digging on the next cold case episode so for this month I'm releasing May 2023's patreon episode. This epsiode focuses on Mormon fundamentalist and extremist Jeffrey Lundgren, who led a cult in Kirtland, Ohio and is responsible for the murder of an entire family. Patreon and Socials: https://linktr.ee/MidwestMysteryFiles   Crime Journal Article: https://www.crimeli...

In March of 2008, father of five, soon to be six, MIchael Womack would vanish without a trace from Alton, IL. Only for his truck to be found almost 30 miles away, clean and wiped of any fingerprints. Then, in July of 2011, father of two, Jared Hanna would leave his home in Jerseyville, IL. After failing to pick up his daughters from their mother, Jared’s pick up truck would be found almost 70 mile...

On a warm summer day in July of 2012, 10 year old Lyric Cook-Morrissey, and her cousin 8 year old Elizabeth Collins would head out in the town of Evansdale, Iowa on what was to be a typical bike ride. However, as the time the girls should have been home would come and go, Lyric and Elizabeth’s grandmother and parents would become increasingly concerned. After the family would fail to locate the gi...

In November of 1998, 36 year old Anthony Klama was living a pretty good life. He was working as a maintenance supervisor in the same apartment complex with which he lived. Recently he had received some high praise and was looking forward to an upcoming inspection, in hopes that it could lead to a promotion. Anthony spoke with family almost everyday and was looking forward to spending time with the...

It was July of 2006 and 33 year old VIcki Eagleman, recently divorced and with five children, had moved in with her mother and step father on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Vicki had begun dating a man named Sonny, and on an exceptionally hot day, Vicki, Sonny, and others would spend the day swimming on the Missouri River. However, Vicki would soon disappear after being seen b...

Life had been hectic lately for 15 year old Rachel Pratt, she had recently found she was going to be a mother and was in her first trimester of pregnancy. Not being bogged down, she continued to live life as normally as she could. In January of 1995, Rachel would perform in a school band concert, then come home to settle in with her siblings while her mother worked an overnight shift. Rachel's mot...

On a cold morning in February 2001, twenty-three-year-old Stefanie Welch would drop her two young boys off at preschool and daycare. Hours later her vehicle would be parked at a local mobile home park, and an unknown man would be seen walking away. Stefanie, would never be seen again, this is Midwest Mystery Files Episode 27, the disappearance of Stefanie Welch. Crime Bae Podcast: https://open.spo...

In July of 2002, 19 year old Russell Turcotte was on his way home to Montana from a Rainbow Gathering in the Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He had stayed behind a few days after the gathering to clean up the mess that was left behind. With his friends already back in Montana, Russell decided to hitchhike back. Upon reaching Grand Forks, North Dakota, Russell would call...

Update on Episode 10: The Opelika Jane Doe. Amore is her name, and suspects are in custody. Hear all the details within, apologies for some weird sound on the technical end for about 30 seconds towards the end of the episode.

My newest case isn't ready yet, so today's episode is my October bonus episode from Patreon, which focuses on the alleged possession and exorcism of Anna Ecklund in 1928 in Earling, Iowa. Was Anna really possessed? Or was she simply a mentally ill woman who was misdiagnosed? Listen and decide! Also be sure to check out That's Not Good: A True Crime Podcast! Link Below. That's Not Good  https://lin...

On a cold, cloudy day in December of 1995, a teller at the Bank One in Bloomfield, Ohio was working the drive up window when a red and silver pick up pulled up. The teller recognized the truck, and the couple inside, as John and Shelly Markley were regulars at the bank. Who she didn’t recognize was a man accompanying the Markley’s. John was driving the truck, while Shelly sat in the middle with th...

On July 22nd, 2001, 28-year-old Niqui McCown was just weeks away from marrying the love of her life. She was set to address wedding envelopes with her fiancé that evening. However, a trip to the laundromat would soon turn into a mystery with no end. Niqui would never return home, and months later her vehicle would be found 45 miles away, with no clues as to her whereabouts. This is Midwest Mystery...

It was Christmas time in the college town of Normal, Illinois. Many students had already left by December 22, 1975, gone home on break to celebrate the holiday season with their families. During their time off, they may have caught a screening of Black Christmas, a 1974 slasher film that was still doing some screenings in December of 1975. The film focused on a group of young women in a sorority b...

In October of 1996, nineteen-year-old Kristi Nikle headed out into the town of Grand Forks, North Dakota for a night of bingo. Kristi had been diagnosed with a developmental disability and posessed the mental skill of a 10-year-old. However, she was fiercely independent and was never held back from being a bubbly, friendly, and social person who was well liked around town. On the night of October...

In September of 1992 in Saginaw, Michigan, Shamonica Brown would spend her Friday evening playing with some neighborhood kids. The fun would begin on the front porch of her home but would then move to a playground a short distance away. As the evening would move on, and young children would begin to return home, Shamonica’s mother Doris would grow worried when she failed to turn back up home. Dori...

On May 19th, 1990, Nineteen-year-old Chad Maurer would come home on his lunch break to grab a quick bite to eat and head back to work at his job in Madison, Wisconsin. Later that day, Chad’s parents would stop by his work, only to find he was nowhere to be found. Two days later, 150 aways in South Chicago, Chad would be found in a garage, dead from what appeared to be suicide. However, several que...

On July 4th, 1978, a family in Junction City, Kansas would be awoken by a commotion across the street from their home. The family would gather at the front of the house, watching the events unfold, after several minutes they would take notice that one of the children living in the home was not with them, they would quickly find she was nowhere in the house at all. This is Midwest Mystery Files, Ep...