Small Town Mysteries

Send us Fan Mail Who was Julie Doe? And how did investigators identify her decades after she had been murdered, despite several roadblocks? Find out on this weeks episode of Small Town Mysteries! Sources: 1)https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1j840cn/dna_doe_project_identifies_transgender_julie_doe/  2) https://dnadoeproject.org/case/transgender-julie-doe/  3) https://www.namus.g...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rachael talks about the tragic murder of 15-year-old Trish Autry.  Sources:  1) https://casetext.com/case/state-v-nielsen-40 2) https://www.nelsonfuneralhome.com/obituaries/trisha-autry 3)https://web.archive.org/web/20070812080555/http://www.unsolved.com:80/0109-TrishaAutry.html 4) https://www.deseret.com/2001/5/16/19586566/missing-teen-is-found-dead/ 5) https://www.hjn...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Christine dives into the murder of Helen Jewett. Helen was a sex worker in New York City in the 1830s. Was the murderer her most recent client? You can decide... Sources:  1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Jewett 2) https://darkdowneast.com/helenjewett/ 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-long-island-star-murder-and-arson-t/102699744/ 4) https://www.newspaper...

Send us Fan Mail Tune in this week to hear Kate cover one of the most badass survival stories we've covered: the unbelievable survival of 15-year-old Mary Vincent. Sources: 1) https://people.com/archive/a-victims-life-sentence-vol-29-no-16/ 2) https://archive.vcstar.com/news/crime-survivor-speaks-ep-371969784-350886431.html/ 3) https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-feb-25-mn-22808-stor...

Send us Fan Mail When three people are wrongly convicted as a result of police manipulation tactics, you have to wonder: who was actually responsible? Miscarriages of justice are rampant in this case, but most important is to remember that Lynette White's life was taken from her, and she cannot ever get that back. Sources:  1) https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2023-02-09/lynette-whites-murder-wh...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Christine covers the puzzling death of Alexander Stevens. This case was never cut and dry from the beginning, but only gets more puzzling as more details emerge.  Sources: 1) https://www.courts.state.md.us/sites/default/files/unreported-opinions/0993s18.pdf  2) https://www.wvnews.com/garrettrepublican/news/megan-shaffer-sentenced-to-30-years-in-prison-for-second-degree-...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Kate dives into an unsolved mystery, and a rather perplexing one, at that. This one is a great example/reminder of why colonialism is bad. When Michael Rockefeller (yes, of THE Rockefeller Family) disappeared during an expedition in the Asmat region of southwestern Dutch New Guinea (now South Papua), no one knew what had happened to him.  There's a few theories. So...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rachael covers the murder of Gregory "Sky" Erickson, who was just 15 years old. And buckle up, because the cast of characters involved in this case is EXTENSIVE--there were TEN people charged in connection with his murder! Sources: 1) https://law.justia.com/cases/minnesota/court-of-appeals/2012/a11-1379.html 2) https://www.facebook.com/p/In-memory-of-Sky-Erick...

Send us Fan Mail Around 4:00 AM on August 23, 1987 in the tiny city of Alexander, Arkansas, a locomotive engineer noticed that there were people laying down on the train tracks. The engineer engaged the train’s brakes and sounded the horn, but the train was unable to stop in time. When 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives were hit by this freight train, their death was initially and un...

Send us Fan Mail Despite there being security camera footage of Missy Bever's killer, there have been frustratingly few major leads over the last 9 years.  Sources:  1) https://people.com/crime/missy-bevers-murder-mother-in-law-asks-will-we-feel-like-celebrating-arrest/ 2) https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/internet-sleuths-muddy-waters-and-wreck-lives-in-missy-bevers-murder-investigation-91...

Send us Fan Mail Katarzyna Zowada was murdered in a truly horrific way. After police didn't file a police report for Katarzyna initially when she went missing, it took almost 20 years for investigators to find out who her killer was, with the help of DNA technology. Sources:  1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Katarzyna_Zowada 2) The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told by Jack R...

Send us Fan Mail Michele Anne Harris, born on September 29th, 1965, left the restaurant she was working at at the end of her shift, and had a couple drinks with coworkers in the parking lot. She went to see a boyfriend in Smithsboro, New York, leaving shortly after 11pm. This is the last time she was seen.  The day that Michele disappeared was unique. It was not a day that would soon be forgotten…...

Send us Fan Mail Journalist, radio personality, and socialite Dorothy Kilgallen was found dead in her apartment in New York City on November 8, 1965. She was found sitting up in bed, fully dressed and made up. Her official cause of death was an overdose of barbiturates combined with alcohol. But alcohol and barbiturates cannot explain why Dorothy’s notes on the single most famous case she had ever...

Send us Fan Mail This episode has so many twists and turns that if it was a novel, someone on Goodreads would complain about it being "unrealistic".  A whole family was murdered one night in the 1870s. The motive was clear, but the perpetrator was (and still is) a mystery. Though a trial ensues, the town decides to take matters into their own hands.  Otherwise known as The Horsey Episode...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Christine covers the heartbreaking murders of Jack and Paul, two young boys who were killed by their father. Despite evidence and testimony from the boys' mother that their father was a dangerous man capable of killing his own sons, the judge awarded him 5 hours of unsupervised contact each week. This decision would sadly prove to be fatal for the 9 and 12-year old bro...

Send us Fan Mail This case if not covered enough. Have you heard of Paul Revere's Midnight Ride? Probably. But there is a horrific detail of that midnight ride that most do not know about. Learn about it here on Small Town Mysteries, then tell all your friends to listen...because this one is important. Sources: 1) https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials 2) https://w...

Send us Fan Mail The tragic murder of 5-year-old Farah Khan is discussed in this week's podcast.  Sources: 1) https://globalnews.ca/news/6276192/farah-khan-murder-toronto/ 2) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/father-stepmother-convicted-of-murdering-5-year-old-farah-khan-1.496891 3) https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA112724200&sid=sitemap&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&userGr...

Send us Fan Mail What killed Kathy Wangler is known. Kathy, a wife and mother of two, was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in her upstairs bedroom on September 4, 2006.  What is not so clear is how this happened. Some believe it was a tragic accident set off by a faulty water heater inside the home. Others believe it was something more sinister and calculated. Sources:  1) https://www.fin...

Send us Fan Mail Rachael talks about our last three cryptids of this spooky season: the Black Annis, the Jersey Devil, and The Dover Demon. Which one will become Small Town Mysteries' Cryptid Congeniality? Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Annis 2) https://monster.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Annis 3) https://astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2023/10/15/black-annis 4) https://...

Send us Fan Mail A Halloween party turned sour. What happened to Arpana Jinaga? And why did the cops immediately zero in on one suspect, when several people at the party exhibited suspicious behaviors? Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redmond,_Washington 2) https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/emanuel-fair-trial-lawsuit-dna-murder-charge-1330251/ 3) https://www.crimescene...

Send us Fan Mail Tonight, Christine transports us all to prom. But there are no humans to be found at this prom. Oh no. This is a prom for the Cryptids. The theme? Under the Sea. And it is up to us and YOU to decide who is crowned our Cryptid King! Get out your writing utensils or note app on your phone and decide which of our contenders deserves the esteemed title.  Let us know your thoughts and...

Send us Fan Mail Sometime between late October 30th and early Oct 31, 2010, William “B.J.” Liske murdered his father, stepmother, and his stepbrother. The family was murdered in their own home located in Martin, Ohio. Sources: 1) https://www.toledoblade.com/local/courts/2011/09/15/Liske-gets-life-for-deaths-of-3/stories/201109150097 2) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-triple-murder-teen-thought-i...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Cryptid Chaos, Kate talks about Chupacabra and Mothman! Sources: 1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra 2) https://www.britannica.com/topic/chupacabra 3) https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/land/modern-myths 4) https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/ology-cards/281-chupacabra 5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge 6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartbreaking case, Kennedy Ife's family attempted to exorcise what they believed to be a "demon" out of him, but unfortunately ended up killing their own relative. Sources: 1) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exorcism-possession-uk-london-death-kennedy-ife-parents-family-brothers-restrained-a8763026.html 2) https://vocal.media/criminal/the-deadly...

Send us Fan Mail In September of 1999, Ronald Cohen had just finalized the sale of his home in Jericho, New York, where he had lived for the previous nine years. In cleaning out his home for the new owners, he came across something startling in his basement–left behind from the previous owner of the house and weighing about 300 pounds. Its discovery would reopen a 30-year-old cold case. Sources: 1...