Going West: True Crime

In June of 1999, a brilliant entomologist vanished into the night after walking home in Idaho Falls. And when police looked into his vanishing, they found many suspicious angles. In a strangely familiar situation from three years earlier, he was assaulted while walking home from a bar. And the last person to see him before he went missing left town that same night, with a troubling discovery in hi...

In May of 1995, a 15-year-old vanished in broad daylight after attending half of her high school classes in the quiet town of Spanish Fork, Utah. She was last seen around lunchtime, but never made it to her next class, and never came home. For years, her disappearance haunted her community, even after arrests were made. This is the murder of Kiplyn Davis. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company....

In April of 1989, an intruder wiped out nearly an entire family inside their Indiana home on prom night. With little evidence left behind at the scene, the case went cold for some time - until renewed vigor in the investigation revealed a shocking suspect - one that many believe to this day may actually be innocent. These are the murders of the Pelley family, otherwise known as the Prom Night Murd...

In May of 2016, a 31-year-old woman went out for a night of music and drinks in Green Bay, Wisconsin. But the next morning, her body was found in a farmer’s field, miles from home, and brutally beaten. Investigators soon uncovered a tangled timeline of jealousy and digital footprints that pointed back to the man she had trusted most. But with evidence from a fitness tracker, the entire case agains...

In June of 1995, a 27-year-old morning news anchor vanished outside her Iowa apartment complex as she rushed to go to work in the dark, early morning hours. When police came upon the scene, they found her high heeled shoe, and various other items like a hairdryer strewn next to her car door - proving that she likely been abducted. As evidence of a stalker came into light, with her reporting being...

In June of 2013, a 25-year-old newlywed vanished in the picturesque mountains of Montana, just days after saying "I do." What began as a missing persons case in a tight-knit community quickly turned into something far darker, as investigators uncovered chilling secrets, a cryptic email regarding his death, and a truth that no one saw coming. This is the murder of Cody Johnson. Hosted by Simplecast...

Tensions were high during the summer of 1983 in Saint Petersburg, Florida, leading it to become known as the “summer of hell” after a rash of murders plagued the city. Two years prior, Playboy had opened the Suncoast Club, the first of its kind in the area. And now, as the city grappled with a potential serial killer, the Suncoast Club’s “Bunny of the Year” contest would result in both the winner...

In May of 2009, the 31-year-old wife of a televangelist’s security guard was murdered in her Illinois home alongside her two sons. For months prior, her husband had been receiving threatening messages via email, and he told police that he feared his anonymous stalker had finally acted on their warnings. But as the investigation into the tragic murders unfolded, a shocking scheme, and sinister caus...

In February of 1985, two teenage girls headed out for an unofficial tour of a historic abandoned mansion outside of San Francisco. But once they arrived, the security officer outside - who had a bad reputation in the area - took the opportunity to prey on the girls, and what followed was a night of horror that only one of the girls would survive. This is the murder at the Carolands Chateau. Source...

In January of 2025, a 14-year-old Indigenous girl went missing without a trace from her home in Mesa, Arizona. Just weeks later, her dismembered remains were discovered on the side of a highway a few hours away. Investigators began to dive into a devastating homicide investigation, but it is still very much underway. This is the murder of Emily Pike. Sources: Blasius, Melissa, et al. “What Led up...

Between April of 1971 and September of 1972, six girls, between the ages of 10 and 18, were abducted from Washington DC and found murdered. After some of their abductions, he would call the families or those close to the case breathing heavily, or giving crude messages. Then, left behind in one of the victims’ pockets was a note from the killer, taunting the police by saying, “Catch me if you can,...

Part 2 of 2. Starting in 1978, a Montana man murdered three people and injured 23 others during a nationwide bombing campaign. Hiding behind a comfortable upbringing, mathematician degrees from prestigious universities, and his perspective of doing right by the environment, Ted Kaczynski violently opposed modern technology and industrial society. And through a 35,000-word manifesto and multiple ho...

Starting in 1978, a Montana man murdered three people and injured 23 others during a nationwide bombing campaign. Hiding behind a comfortable upbringing, mathematician degrees from prestigious universities, and his perspective of doing right by the environment, Ted Kaczynski violently opposed modern technology and industrial society. And through a 35,000-word manifesto and multiple horrific attack...

 In February of 2020, a 42-year-old Florida man suffocated to death after being zipped into a suitcase during what allegedly started as an innocent game of hide-and-seek. But when an investigation revealed that there had been drinking involved, an ulterior motive presented itself, and so did a suspect whose intentions hadn’t been so playful. This is the murder of Jorge Torres. Hosted by Simplecast...

In 1988, Dorothea Puente, an elderly and seemingly sweet landlady in Sacramento, California, was arrested after a series of mysterious disappearances plagued her boarding house. When investigators uncovered the remains of several bodies buried on her property, the true horror of her actions came to light: she had been drugging and killing vulnerable elderly and disabled individuals under her care,...

In March of 2009, a 41-year-old woman living in Grovetown, Georgia was found beaten nearly to death in her home after she and her neighbor were robbed on the same morning. But when said neighbor was shot just two days later while leaving work, police uncovered a tangled web of deception and lies. This is the murder of Kay Parsons. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for i...

In April of 1980, a nun was found murdered on the floor of a Toledo, Ohio chapel. She had been brutally murdered, her body found with clear signs of strangulation, and over 30 stab wounds - nine of which were in the shape of an inverted cross. At first, it felt as though her murder had been part of a satanic ritual. But as the investigation unraveled, an otherworldly shock hit detectives and the c...

In April of 2015, a 28-year-old mother of three went missing in South Carolina after meeting up with a man from a dating app. Initially, the only suspect in her disappearance was cooperative and helpful. Until her body was found buried in a swamp. This is the murder of Ashley Pegram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...

In March of 2015, an 18-year-old college freshman in Virginia went missing after returning home for spring break. Weeks later, her body was found on an abandoned property, proving that her death was a murder. When suspicions turned on her grieving loved ones, and toward the erratic behavior of one person in particular, a shocking suspect revealed themselves. This is the story of Anjelica, or “AJ,”...

In April of 1943, a group of teenagers walking through the woods near Birmingham, England made a chilling discovery: a human skull hidden inside the hollow trunk of a wych elm tree. As whispers of witchcraft, espionage, and murder circled the town, investigators uncovered shocking theories that only deepened the mystery… As the woman’s body continued to go unidentified, it sparked speculation and...

When a 43-year-old mother in Colorado slipped into a coma in March of 2023, her grief-stricken loved ones struggled to make sense of it. Otherwise active and healthy, she had been hospitalized multiple times with a mysterious ailment, dying within days. It wasn’t until a shocking source revealed the contents of a suspicious package that a murder plot was uncovered - before she even succumbed to he...

In March of 2019, a 21-year-old student at the University of South Carolina went out to a local bar with friends. Leaving the rest of her group behind around 2am, she headed outside to hop in her Uber, and was never seen alive again. A day later, in a rural area of South Carolina, her remains would be found with over a hundred stab wounds. And as the investigation would uncover, it wasn’t a ridesh...

In March of 2012, a beloved 33-year-old high school science teacher went missing from Vermont after heading out to help someone with apparent car troubles. When her abandoned vehicle was discovered with her two-year-old son still inside, a frantic search began. And when detectives began looking into a local man who used to work for her, a sinister plot unraveled. This is the story of Melissa Jenki...

In February of 2014, a Missouri girl was abducted off the street in her own neighborhood by a strange man in a truck. Three witnesses watched it happen and acted immediately, writing down the license plate number of the perpetrator, and even knocking on doors attempting to find the girl’s family. And because of their actions, police would soon be knocking on the door of the man responsible - where...

In February of 2013, a 21-year-old woman mysteriously disappeared during a visit to see her on-again, off-again boyfriend after he told her he had a “surprise gift” for her. A subsequent investigation uncovered strange text messages, perplexing surveillance footage, and an important insider tip from an unsuspecting witness. This is the story of Kelsie Schelling. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz co...