Murder In The Rain

Last week we told the story of Mandy Stavik who was kidnapped and murdered while on a jog in her hometown. Years went on and her case went cold. Then detectives, inspired by a case in England, decided they would do a DNA sweep of the area. In today’s episode, we’ll talk about the lengths detectives and even a good samaritan went to in an effort to put a killer behind bars. Armed with a DNA match,...

When Mandy Stavik went missing while jogging during the Thanksgiving holiday, her family was terrified they were going to live through the loss of yet another child, after her brother Brent had been tragically murdered years prior. Soon, those fears were realized when Mandy’s body was discovered in a river. Desperate to solve her case, detectives followed the trailblazing steps of British detectiv...

In this week’s episode, we get to hear two Murder in the Rain Patreon exclusives. First up, “Monster Under the Bed”, the frightening case of Zacharias Adrian Cavasos who repeatedly exploited a child. Next, First up, “H.O.M.I.C.I.D.E”, the tragic story of Mouseketeer Dennis Day. For images and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain episode blog .  Episode Host “Monster Under...

This is the case of Corinna Mullen, a 20-year-old woman who was violently murdered in her small town of Central City, Kentucky. Her case went unsolved for nearly two decades, but was who killed her really a secret all those years? Today’s case is from the “Welcome to” series where we feature cases from the cities our Patreon listeners live in. If you’d like more episodes of Murder in the rain, Pat...

In today’s episode, Alisha shares two of her favorite Patreon episodes. First up is “Fear”. Can everyone feel fear? What scientifically happens when you feel fear? Can you be scared to death? This is the case of Mary Parnell whose life was cut short by a random turn of events that would quite literally leave her scared to death. Next up, “Section 490”, the story of Manbir Kajila, Samandeep Gill an...

Many neighbors reflected that the Bever family kept to themselves and never really mingled with any of the people in the neighborhood. The family was such a mystery that the neighbors didn’t know their first names until news of a horrific tragedy of what happened to them would be plastered all over the media.  If you are interested in listening/watching to Michael Bever's interrogation with de...

In this week’s episode, Josh shares the story of Mabel Monohan. When 64-year-old Mabel answered the rapid knock on her front door from a woman calling for help, she had no idea the nefarious plan the strangers on the other side of the door had planned. Two days later, on March 11th, 1953, Mabel’s gardener would find her dead in her ransacked Burbank, California house.  For photos and sources for t...

In the days before April 27th, our instagram, along with others, were posting phone numbers and information about how to contact Texas’ Gov. Abbot, requesting he grant clemency to Melissa Lucio- a woman who was set to be put to death. The outcry and calls worked and her life has, thus far, been spared. There’s additional good news- not only will she not be murdered by the state, but her appeals ar...

In the early 1980’s medical personnel at Bexar County Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, noticed that patients in the pediatric intensive care unit were dying at an accelerated rate. They suffered seizures, ceased breathing, some had their hearts completely shut down, and others would bleed uncontrollably after being given a shot or IV. After one nurse looked into the issue, she found that most...

In this week’s episode, we explore a real case that was inspired by the cult classic movie Scream. This is the story of 16-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart who was brutally murdered by two classmates; Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik. For photos and sources for today’s episode, check out the Murder in the Rain episode blog . Episode Host: Josh McCullough Come see us at PNW True Crime Fest October 8th &am...

In the episode “Nowhere to be Found” we told the stories of Wallace Guidroz and Lenoria Jones, two toddlers who disappeared while in the care of and possibly at the hands of their guardians. Today, We have two more stories regarding missing children whose cases have never been solved. First, Teekah Lewis, a two-year-old who was abducted during a family night out over 20 years ago. Next, Shausha He...

Part 2: "The Hatchet Man" In last week’s episode “Leave Us Alone” we discussed the Cline Falls Axe Attack from 1977. College students Terri Jentz and Avra Goldman were in Oregon starting their summer cycling trip across the TransAmerica trail. A few days into their trip they were attacked while camping in Cline Falls State Park. The attacker drove his vehicle to the women’s tent, got out,...

Part 1: "Leave Us Alone" The 1970s was a decade where women lobbied and protested and people enjoyed the fashion and musical freedom the decade could offer. More than ever, women were going to college and breaking into careers that used to be solely for men, trying new things, and even going on new adventures. In 1977 two Yale University coeds embarked on the adventure of a lifetime when t...

There are at least 63 available billboards along the 84. As cars travel along, and drivers and passengers' eyes wander across those billboards, that equates to 1.5 million impressions per week, and over 6 million impressions per month per billboard. After you hear today’s episode I hope we’ll be much closer to filling one of those billboards with the face of a beloved father who has been missi...

There seems to be no heavier pain to carry than the loss of a child. It’s hard enough to lose a child to a health issue or accident, but when a stranger and violence are involved, it seems unimaginable how a parent or any family member could get through the day when their heart has been shattered by the loss or worse when they don’t know where or what happened to their child. Today, I’ll be tellin...

"By nightfall, the buildings were burning; the commissary had been looted, blankets and bedding were brought to the yard by the inmates. Small make-shift tents sprang up. Convicts were seen eating fresh bread by the loaf, and sheet cakes by the dozen. They drank milk by the gallon and cooked meat and steaks over large bonfires built from the wreckage of the prison. The loud strains of steel gu...

Last week, I told you about Bruce Nickell, a man who mysteriously collapsed and died. Then, just a few days later, also in Auburn, Washington, 40-year-old mother and banker Sue Snow also collapsed and died. When her death was ruled a homicide via cyanide poisoning, her husband Paul was looked at as a suspect and the country was terrified to hear there might be another murderer tampering with capsu...

The Tylenol murders of Chicago in 1981 brought a flurry of change. They inspired a total redesign of medical packaging, to hinder tampering and it spawned the creation of a new anti-tampering federal law. The ripple effect of change went as deep as homes and individuals. Some were so fearful there would be another attack by the uncaptured perpetrator, or perhaps a copycat, they wouldn’t even buy m...

In December of 2011, the tiny city of Deer Park, Washington, was shaken by the horrific news that a local mother of five was found murdered in her own bed. Over the course of the investigation, police pieced together a grim scene. A man broke into her home and laid in wait for his opportunity to strike. He then violently murdered her and left her body in a state to humiliate and degrade her. To th...

In 1923 rural Oregon, a brazen daytime train robbery ended after a strong-arm takeover and a massive dynamite blast, deployed to open a safe containing an alleged fortune, destroyed the train's mail car, setting it ablaze. As it charred to ruin, one person was consumed in the fire and three others were brutally cut down by gunfire. These crimes resulted in a years-long manhunt for the three-ma...

So often in true crime, we hear about the Bogeyman; the Westley Allan Dodds, or Gary Ridgways. An animalistic creature that stalks a person like prey with no rhyme or reason. But too often, the perpetrator of violence is someone within the home; a family member who takes domestic violence too far and ends up killing their family. These horrendous acts leave people wondering how well they know thos...

She created the blueprint for craigslist killings all over the world and she’s known by many nicknames; “Hell’s Princess”, “Female Bluebeard”, “High Priestess of Murder”, and the “Queen of Crime” to name a few. Today we unlock an episode from the Murder in the Rain Patreon vault. Join us to hear about the historic true crime fan favorite, the story of Belle Gunness. Belle Gunness lured men to her,...

The bodies were discovered nearly 48 hours after their car was found abandoned with its doors hanging open, its occupants vanished in the surrounding woods. It was an execution-style killing, times two. The dead were discovered with their watches and shoes missing, their wallets emptied. Gags were found stuffed in their mouths and both had been fatally shot in the head. And though the FBI took ove...

“When we tie you to the theft of something and that shows deception being part of your character you forfeit the right to be believed you forfeit to be treated as an honest person. And that’s the way it is,” Sgt. Reagan of the Spokane police department was quoted as saying during the investigation surrounding today's case. Perhaps your first response was “screw this guy, people deserve second...

The 1980s which were smack dab in what criminal justice experts call the “Epidemic Years” or “The Golden Age of Serial Murder”, was nothing if not a hodgepodge of frenzied criminal activity: from bogus claims leading to the Satanic Panic to falsely accused Daycare child sex abuse, the rumors of heinous crimes were rampant. In a time when people were fixated on stranger danger, hunting monsters, an...