The Last Trip

America's national parks promise peace and beauty - but they also hold some of the country's darkest mysteries. In  Murder on the Trail , bestselling author Michelle Kaminsky investigates disappearances, serial killers, and unsolved cases hidden beneath the redwoods, canyon walls, and mountain switchbacks we think of as safe. From the Yosemite Park Killer to Gary Michael Hilton and the vanlife tra...

On a grey February morning in 1995, one of rock’s most enigmatic voices stepped out of a London hotel room - and into one of music’s most enduring mysteries.  The Manic Street Preachers’ lyricist - Richey Edwards -  brilliant, fragile, and beloved -  left behind a life heavy with pressure and pain.   After his disappearance, his car was found near the Severn Bridge, a place weighted with symbolism...

In September 2023, 32 year old Chelsea Grimm left California on a cross-country drive to attend a wedding.  She packed her camera gear, camping supplies - and her pet bearded dragon - and headed east to Connecticut.  But somewhere in northern Arizona, something began to unravel.  Days after starting her trip, a police officer found her parked near a cemetery.  Body camera footage captured her spea...

On the night of November 5, 2024, Mackenzie Michalski was spotted dancing in a Budapest nightclub, carefree and alive. Hours later, that night ended in shattering silence.  A man she left the club with - met only hours before - would end her life. This is the story of Mackenzie Michalski - and the darkness she never saw coming. Listen as we dive into Budapest, the case of Mackenzie Michalski, and...

This past summer I had the opportunity to join some amazing podcaster's for the Death Not Yet Series. This episode of Survivor || TERRI JENTZ || The Last Trip for Death Not Yet first aired on July 4th. This is a Podcaster’s Give Back collaboration. All podcasters have donated their time and research to help advocate for victims of domestic violence. And we are raising money to give back to non pro...

This past summer I had the opportunity to join some amazing podcaster's for the Death Not Yet Series. This episode of Survivor || COLLEEN STAN || The Last Trip for Death Not Yet first aired on July 4th. This is a Podcaster’s Give Back collaboration. All podcasters have donated their time and research to help advocate for victims of domestic violence. And we are raising money to give back to non pr...

In November 2008, 30-year-old Ani Ashekian landed in Hong Kong—jet-lagged, excited, and ready for her next adventure. She sent a quick birthday text to her niece, withdrew cash from an ATM… and then vanished without a trace. No calls. No bank activity. No confirmed sightings.  Just a few seconds of CCTV showing Ani standing calmly in a crowded terminal—moments before she disappeared into a city of...

In November 2018, a young man vanished into the gray sea night, stepping across the forbidden line that separated two worlds.  His name was John Allen Chau - twenty-six years old, an American with a quiet resolve, a missionary’s conviction burning in his chest. He sailed toward North Sentinel Island - a place sealed off from the modern world, where the Sentinelese have refused all contact for cent...

In March 2020, 18 year old Eloi Rolland left his homestay on Auckland’s North Shore  just before dawn. He was a French exchange student - curious, soft-spoken,  and enchanted by New Zealand’s beauty. That morning he opened Google Maps and searched the word Piha . A remote black-sand beach known for its cliffs, its isolation… and its danger. He caught a bus, then a train. CCTV caught him walking al...

In 1975, a musician named Jim Sullivan got into his car and left Los Angeles behind. He was heading east, chasing a new beginning - or maybe running from something he couldn’t name. He was tall, handsome, magnetic - and his music carried that same restless energy.  Songs about highways, lost souls, and vanishing into the unknown. The kind of lyrics that feel like they’re trying to tell you somethi...

May 12, 2004 - a day that began like any other for the Devries family.  They were on vacation in Aruba, seeking a moment’s peace, maybe a bit of hope, after a great loss.  Fourteen year old Max, eager for an adventure, asked to go out on a jet ski with a man they recently befriended. By afternoon, that simple request would become the portal to a mystery no one has solved. The man returned - alone....

It was April 1st, 1981, when Johnny Waterman, a 29 year old brilliant climber and haunted soul, set out from the Mountain House deep in the Ruth Glacier of Denali National Park.  His goal was the East Buttress of Denali, approached via the northwest fork of the Ruth - an audacious, almost impossible route in the winter. He carried remarkably little: a sled, snowshoes, not much food, and wands to m...

Rebecca Middleton was just 17 years old - on the trip of a lifetime with her best friend - when a chance encounter shattered everything.  What should have been sun-drenched days of beaches and laughter turned into one of the most brutal and baffling murders the island had ever seen. But the horror of Rebecca’s death was only the beginning. What followed was a twisted path of botched investigations...

It was just before dawn on August 12th, 1992, when thirty-six year old Pamela June Ray pulled into a motel parking lot in Panama City Beach, Florida.  Her two young children were asleep in the backseat, unaware their lives were about to change forever. Pamela was seen speaking with a man near the motel pool. She locked the car, left her children inside, and walked away with him into the early morn...

He was a lawyer, an activist, a wild, larger-than-life figure who thrived in chaos. Then, one day in 1974, Oscar Zeta Acosta boarded a boat in Mexico—and vanished. No witnesses. No body. Just whispers of murder, political revenge, or a man bold enough to erase himself. Half a century later, the question still lingers: what really happened to Oscar Zeta Acosta? Listen as we dive into the Mazatlán,...

On the night of July 6th, 2019, in western Nebraska, a young father seemingly vanished into thin air.  He was Chance Englebert, a 25 year old welder, cowboy and newlywed - gone without a trace.  Earlier that day, Chance had been visiting his in-laws when a casual round of golf turned tense due to some remarks about his new job that angered him.  Upset, he told his wife he wanted to go back home to...

In the fall of 2017, Enrique Garibay Ruiz—a physicist, mathematician, and writer—left Budapest for what he promised would be a short trip to the United States. He visited New York, then flew west to Los Angeles, checking into a hostel and renting a gray Toyota RAV4. He told his family he’d be home soon. But Enrique never came home. On October 3rd, he checked out of the hostel.  On October 4th, he...

Christina "Licorice" McKechnie was once at the heart of the 1960s counterculture - singing with the Incredible String Band, recording on celebrated albums, and performing on the stage at Woodstock. But after the mid-1970s, her story begins to blur. By the mid-1980s, she had seemingly vanished. There are no police records, no clear timeline, and no obituary. Just scattered whispers, half-remembered...

It was spring break on Florida’s Gulf Coast - sun, surf, and twenty-two college students crammed into a rental house along Panama City Beach.  Among them was 21 year old Reny Jose, a student from Rice University with a bright future ahead of him.   But on the night of March 3, 2014, Reny stepped out into the evening and was never seen again.  By the next morning, his friends reported him missing. ...

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime - a luxury island resort in the Maldives, white sand beaches, turquoise water stretching endlessly toward the horizon. For Giedre Vaskyte, a 33 year old Canadian woman, it was a last quiet getaway before her life changed forever.  She was eight months pregnant, and the baby’s due date was just weeks away.  In February 2021, she checked into the intercon...

Mark Kilroy was a bright, athletic college student - a pre-med major with a promising future.  Blowing off steam on a spring break getaway to the sun-drenched border town of Matamoros, Mexico.  But somewhere between the neon-lit bars and crowded streets, Mark vanished without a trace. At first, it looked like another spring break gone wrong - just a kid who wandered off. But what investigators wou...

It was the start of a perfect weekend in September 2009 when 61-year-old Melvin Nadel - black belt, seasoned bowhunter, and respected gym owner - set out on a hunting trip near Pecos, New Mexico. While his friends ventured out, Mel stayed near camp. But when they returned before dark, he was gone. His Jeep was locked. His gear untouched. Trackers followed his scent just a few hundred feet - and th...

In February 2013, 20 year old Crishtian Hughes flew to San Francisco to visit friends, he was excited for a weekend away. He told his mom he'd be home in a few days, but Crishtian never came back. The night before his flight home, he left his friend's house in the middle of the night - and vanished.  Over a decade later, his family is still waiting. Still searching.  Still asking the same chilling...

In March 2000, 23-year-old Leah Roberts packed her Jeep Cherokee, grabbed her cat—and vanished.  Not without a trace, but into the vast, mist-covered wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Inspired by Jack Kerouac, Leah set off from North Carolina on a soul-searching road trip, leaving behind a trail of personal tragedy: the sudden death of both parents and a near-fatal car crash. She carried $3,000...

A dream vacation in Cancun. A luxury resort by the sea. A second chance at love.... that ended in murder. Monica Beresford-Redman was vibrant, successful, and the heart of L.A.'s salsa scene. When she vanished from the Moon Palace Resort, paradise quickly turned into a nightmare. Her body was discovered strangled and hidden near the hotel - and the spotlight turned to her reality TV producer husba...