The Fall Line: True Crime

In today's episode, we continue the story of Calvin Willie Martinez.  Mothers Day 2019 was the last time Calvin Willie Martinez's family heard from him. After suffering an immense loss in 2014, Calvin had struggled with depression and alcohol dependence.  But he always stayed in contact with his loved ones—so when he called them from a truck stop in Albuquerque, NM, and promised he was heading hom...

Mothers Day 2019 was the last time Calvin Willie Martinez's family heard from him. After suffering an immense loss in 2014, Calvin had struggled with depression and alcohol dependence.  But he always stayed in contact with his loved ones—so when he called them from a truck stop in Albuquerque, NM, and promised he was heading home, they believed him. But Calvin never arrived.  Ever since, his siste...

We sit down with podcaster and author Nina Innsted to discuss her coverage of and investigation into Michigan's unsolved missing persons cases and unresolved homicides—many of which are detailed in her new true-crime book.  Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/fallli...

We continue our coverage of missing child Arden Pepion, and her family's reflections on what justice really means.    In April of 2021, three-year-old Arden Pepion was taken to a shooting range on the banks of the Two-Medicine River on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana. She hasn't been seen since—and despite years of search efforts, her family still doesn't have an answer. What happened...

In April of 2021, three-year-old Arden Pepion was taken to a shooting range on the banks of the Two-Medicine River on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana. She hasn't been seen since—and despite years of search efforts, her family still doesn't have an answer. What happened to Baby Arden? In the first of a two-part series, we cover her disappearance and the experiences of her paternal grand...

For the family of Anastasia Ferriera, the search has been defined by obstacles: a detective they waited six months to meet, and tips that arrived too late or led nowhere. Her mother, Natalie, and grandmother Brenda have largely driven the investigation themselves, canvassing the International District, funding billboards and radio ads, and connecting with advocacy group Aunties for Justice.  In th...

Nineteen-year-old Anastasia Ferriera grew up close to her mother, Natalie Padilla, and her grandmother Brenda. Birthdays were always spent together, and texts flew back and forth throughout the day. In March 2023, that contact stopped. Anastasia was last seen in Albuquerque's International District, and her family has been searching ever since. In this first episode of a two-part series, we trace...

Eleven-year-old Andrew Oliver Escobar was finally settling back in with his father in Albuquerque. Re-enrolled at his old elementary school, he was playing chess, learning . Then, on June 25, 2023, Andrew went to his mother's for a court-ordered weekend visit. He never came back. In this first episode of our new season, we examine Andrew's disappearance and the painful reality facing families when...

This week we're sharing an episode from our friend Kristen Seavey, who creates and hosts Murder, She Told. Kristen is a credentialed victim's advocate and one of the best cold case researchers working in the field. In 1963, Emil Martens, a Danish immigrant living in a one-room cabin in the woods of Aroostook County, Maine, was murdered. The case went cold. At some point, the Maine State Police tol...

Roycinda Alexander thought that justice would come swiftly for her son, Darren Gray, who was murdered in public, in a city park, during his own child's birthday party—but she soon discovered that the neighborhood she'd raised her family in began to feel like a land of strangers.  On May 8th, 2010, 24-year-old Darren Gray attended his child's birthday party at a Norfolk-area public park; during the...

On May 8th, 2010, 24-year-old Darren Gray attended his child's birthday party at a Norfolk-area public park; during the celebration, he was attacked by a group of men and endured a brutal beating that ended in his murder. Close to 13 years later, his mother and siblings have more questions than answers, and though some suspects were identified—and eventually, convicted—of Darren's beating, his mur...

For more than two years, we've continued our coverage of the Nashville, Tennessee Jane Doe formerly known as Vandy Jane Doe. In February 2026,  her identification was announced: she was Yadezia Jones, of Nashville, and had finally been reconnected with her identity through FIGG (forensic investigative genetic genealogy). In this episode, we speak with the current and retired detectives assigned to...

For the family of Christian Boyle, the grief of his unsolved murder is compounded by a lack of transparency. While convictions were secured in the Birmingham murder of Terrell Guy Jr.—the crime Christian witnessed—his own case in Blount County has remained at a standstill for eight years. In the conclusion of this series, we speak with Christian's twin Brandon about his transformation from grievin...

Today, we're sharing a preview of The Final Hours, a true crime podcast from Crime House, powered by PAVE Studios.  Hosted by Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole, The Final Hours examines the moments just before a person disappears. The routines. The timelines. And the small details that often get overlooked,  until it's too late.  Sarah is an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose sister d...

Eighteen-year-old Christian Boyle was a fixture in his small town of Cleveland, Alabama. A fraternal twin who was "smart as a whip," Christian spent his days working construction and helping his mother, Kerry, care for his quadriplegic father. But when he failed to show up for laundry and missed his usual goodnight text on December 12, 2017, his family knew something was wrong. In the first episod...

This week we're sharing a special episode from Blood Will Tell, a gripping new podcast you won't want to miss. When a birthday party in suburban San Jose turns deadly, 18-year-old identical twins Trung and Anh  are arrested for suspected murder. But when an eyewitness misidentifies the brothers in a lineup, one twin spends nearly two years in jail — and the wrong one. How could one brother let his...

We continue our coverage of Bryan Vladek Hasel, a former United States Marine who disappeared from Orlando Florida near University of Central Florida on November 6, 2021. In interviews with The Fall Line, his mother and sister discuss the family's four-year search, including work with a private investigator to search for answers. They share theories about his state of mind and possible whereabouts...

Bryan Vladek Hasel disappeared near the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida on November 6, 2021. The 22-year-old former Marine was last seen on body camera footage leaving Foxtail Coffee after a trespass warning. Adopted from Russia, Vladek Hasel showed signs of mental health struggles before vanishing. This missing adult case highlights investigation challenges when no foul play is...

We continue our coverage of the disappearance of Pepita Redhair, who was last seen at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Pepita Madelyn Redhair, a young woman who grew up in Crownpoint on the Navajo Nation reservation, longed for adventure. Still, she stayed incredibly close to her family, despite living 140 miles away in Albuquerque. When Pepita suddenly went silent on March 27, 2020, her moth...

Pepita Madelyn Redhair, a young woman who grew up in  Crownpoint on the Navajo Nation reservation, longed for adventure. Still, she stayed incredibly close to her family, despite living 140 miles away in Albuquerque. When Pepita suddenly went silent on March 27, 2020, her mother Anita King knew something was terribly wrong. The response she received from law enforcement launched her family into a...

Today, we're sharing the first episode of Safe to Drink, a new podcast series from the Pulitzer Prize-finalist Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio. When residents of a New Hampshire town discover their drinking water is contaminated with PFAS, chemicals linked to serious health risks, they are told there is no cause for alarm. But as illnesses mount and questions go unanswered, families be...

Regular guest and Accredited Investigative Genetic Genealogist (AIGG) Cairenn Binder speaks with us about a current event that has shaken up the world of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG/IGG) world: an update in the language of Ancestry.com's TOS regarding access to historical records and family trees.  Many investigators and genealogists feel this may have a major impact on cold cas...

Danny Harris, a 55-year-old Air National Guard veteran, was murdered in his Tennessee apartment in 2007. Andrew Wayne Hayes, a man with an intellectual disability, confessed after a 27-hour interrogation and was sentenced to life in prison. But podcaster Stephanie Tinsley believes the wrong person is in prison. Her investigation "Everything They Missed" has uncovered confession contradictions, unt...

Mary Shotwell Little vanished from Lenox Square mall in Atlanta on October 14, 1965. The 25-year-old newlywed's car was found the next day with blood evidence and unexplained mileage, launching one of the city's most intensive searches. Now, a decade-long investigation by civilian researchers has uncovered previously unseen FBI files and identified new leads in Mary's cold case. The new documentar...

We continue our coverage of the cold case of Eric Nelams, and his family's fight for justice. Army veteran Eric Nelams was shot and killed outside his Phenix City, Alabama home in 2003, just days after refusing to take blame for an embezzlement scheme. His family believes the timing was no coincidence—and 22 years later, his homicide case remains cold. Season 24 of The Fall Line covers missing per...