Murder In The Rain

Part 2: "Spider" Last week I took you down the path of harm and destruction left behind by Jesse Clarence Pratt. How his partners, Linda, Cheryl, and Nancy, and their children all became victims of his violent temper and his hands. I told you about the kidnapping and rape of Teresa and how Jesse could be the party responsible for the disappearance of Virginia Rambus, and that he was the la...

Part 1: "The Candyman" Virginia Anne Rambus was only 19 years old when she left her apartment to walk across the complex to meet up with a friend. She started the walk, but never arrived. Her case remains unsolved, but a man of particular interest was living in the same complex at the same time. To those he provided drugs to, he was known as the Candy Man. Police in Alaska, Washington, Ore...

Part 2: "The Fly" In part one of The Prowler, I told you about the murders of Mary Anne Pohlreich, Carol Beethe, and Randi Levine. Mary Anne was raped and killed in an unknown location, her body left posed after death. Carol and Randi were blitzed in their beds as they slept, beaten, raped, and mutilated. In part two, I'll tell you about the murderer of these women. A sinister man who...

Part 1: "Extreme Personal Rage" In the Summer of 1990, three women fell into the crosshairs of a dangerous man. They were regulars among Bellevue, Washington's vibrant, hard-partying nightlife, and they were murdered- their broken bodies violated and posed after death. Their killer's method linked them as a series, whose recurrences were growing nearer and nearer, but he'd left...

November 13th, 2016 was not dissimilar from any other day for the Grunwald family in Palmer, Alaska, that was until their worst fears were realized when their beloved son didn’t arrive home by curfew. The search for 16-year-old David led investigators to the discovery of his burned vehicle. As they continued their search for him, they uncovered the horrifying events that unfolded the last night an...

In this week’s Murder in the Rain we’d like to offer a warm welcome to new friends from CrimeCon! We’re also giving some updates from cases we’ve recently shared as well as sharing some information about two local cases that many listeners have been asking about.  First, Emily will provide the latest information we have on the potential Portland area serial killer who is tied to the murders of fou...

Today’s episode is unlike any other I’ve done. In the past, I’ve done special episodes regarding active missing persons- but they are usually only about 15 minutes long, sharing the known information in hopes of helping the family. In today’s case, one member of the family reached out to me. The other side of the family isn’t speaking to that person. And the family drama has only added to the chao...

On a rainy night in September of 1946, Cora Rogers was going about her end-of-day duties. She worked alone, running a market and gas station in rural Greenleaf, Oregon. The lights went out inside much earlier than usual, and a curious neighbor walked over to check on Cora, but she did not answer. The neighbor returned home, figuring she had closed up early and gone to bed. She'd been killed at...

In 1998, when the body of a young girl washed up on the shore of the Columbia River in Warrenton, Oregon, it was easy to assume she was another vulnerable person drawn to the Astoria-Megler bridge to end her own life. But her body would tell another story. Authorities had to work quickly to identify her, her killer, and his motive. During the investigation a secret life was uncovered, one that abu...

Little Part 2: “She Rode Alone” Last week, I told you the story of the Cowden Family and how Richard, Belinda, David, and Melissa seemed to have vanished while camping near Carberry Creek Road over the Labor Day weekend of 1974. Over 7 months later, their skeletal remains were discovered- Belinda and the children in a cave- Richard, tied to a tree. With very little to go on, police began looking i...

A turn of luck had led the Cowden family to the Carberry Creek area for a last-minute camping trip. The young family of four were delighted to have the time to indulge in the stunning nature Jackson County offered them. They didn’t have big plans; they were just excited to have time with their two young children to fish and to swim. The cherry on top was the plan of wrapping up the weekend with a...

For millennia, we've heard of Pandora's box and the dangers held within. For Fern Bowden, a warning to stay away wasn't enough to keep her from opening the strange container her husband kept in the basement. With the lift of a lid and the blink of an eye, lives would literally and figuratively be blown apart. Today I'll be talking about Portland's Pandora's Box murder- and...

In this week's episode of Murder in the Rain, we have a special feature from our Patreon series, "Welcome to…," where we delve into a case from the hometown of one of our Patreon listeners. Love, a powerful emotion capable of inspiring boundless devotion, took a deadly turn in the summer of 2003. Sandee Rozzo, a bartender from Pinellas Park, FL, fell victim to the dark side of love whe...

In our early episode “Wicked Part of Me” we touched on a few cases straight off of Washington’s, now former, Death Row. In today’s case, we’ll dive deep into one of those cases, the story of Cal Brown; a picture-perfect example of how parole can go very wrong and innocent people can end up dead. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog .  Episode Ho...

Investigators worked outward from the location of the missing woman’s abandoned car, scouring a trail of digital footage. Her last known sighting was captured on a neighbor's home surveillance video. It shows Kassanndra driving off early on the morning she dropped out of contact. She was newly pregnant and scheduled that day for her first ultrasound appointment, which she missed. It was so out...

In 1978 Oregon saw an uptick of crimes against children and panic swelled to an all-time high when two girls went missing within weeks of each other. Our first case today revolves around the disappearance of 12-year-old Ann Marie Ellinwood who went missing during a March of Dimes Walk-a-thon in Corvallis. The second involves 11-year-old Stephanie Ann Newsom, who vanished while delivering newspaper...

A few months ago, Emily shared the stories of Tiffany and Danielle, survivors of the Jogger Rapist, Richard Gilmore, who has since been released to a halfway home in downtown Portland. We, along with so many of you listeners were rightfully outraged. We’ve yet to hear from newly crowned Gov. Tina Kotek whether she plans to change his low-level status. Sadly, a case like his, where the judicial sys...

CW - Animal Abuse He arrived in Corvallis, Oregon during the Autumn of 1902. His name was Franz Edmund Creffield. Slight and blonde-haired, he spoke with a noticeable German-slash-Swedish-ish accent, was born outside of Dusseldorf near a city named Crefeld (now Krefeld), he'd briefly studied to become a priest, and emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1890s. He had a great big bushy beard, so as...

We want to thank everyone who came out to our live show in Portland, Oregon on June 24th! We admit it, we're a little bit tired after all of the live show excitement, so we wanted to change things up and share a Patreon exclusive episode with you today. Almost exactly 26 years ago, a show premiered on Fox that asked viewers to test the limits of their imaginations. Originally hosted by James B...

Today, we delve into the tragic case of Jenise Wright, a young girl whose disappearance shook her community and captured the attention of the nation. Jenise was just 6 years old when she vanished from her home in Bremerton, Washington, on August 2, 2014. Her disappearance sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community, as friends, family, and neighbors rallied together in a desperate search for...

The month of May is full of reminders of the feminine energy surrounding us. Mother Earth shares her beauty with rays of sunshine and blossoming flowers. Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday of the month. And the woman I spoke with for today’s episode is reminded of the most gutting pain a mother can experience. The loss of a child. To honor her child and his unsolved death, I will be sharing t...

The three trappers were missing for months before their bodies were found in the water beneath a rough hole chopped into the ice of a remote lake. Killed in an ambush, their mutilated bodies wove a tale of furious violence: two had been shot execution-style, one was beaten to death with a hammer, and all three had been raked with shotgun blasts. Committed 99 years ago this past January, and though...

On July 4th 2007, a horrifying incident unfolded when a 12-year-old girl was abducted from outside her own home in Tacoma, WA. The relentless efforts of the police led them through a maze of leads, gradually narrowing down their search until they finally identified the prime suspect. As the realization sank in that yet another young girl in Tacoma went missing, the city was gripped with fear, worr...

Over the last two episodes, you’ve heard the stories of the missing children featured in the 1993 Soul Asylum music video, Runaway Train . In today’s conclusion, we’ll discuss the disappearances of Polly Klaas and Thomas “Tommy” Dean Gibson. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain Episode Blog .  If you’d like more episodes of Murder in the Rain, Patreon member...

Last week I introduced you to the first set of stories surrounding the cases involving children who were pictured in the 1993 Soul Asylum video for Runaway Train. Today, I’ll continue to tell those stories. As you’ll soon hear, the themes of cops not believing the families, a lack of information surrounding the cases and some of the cases remaining unsolved continues. So, if you’re from the area b...