Going West: True Crime

In November of 2002, a 20-year-old man left a party at his Minnesota university and seemed to vanish into thin air. Police originally believed that he had simply fallen into a nearby lake and drowned by accident. But when they couldn’t find any trace of him, they began to suspect that he was met with foul play after walking home alone. Especially as they unraveled the disturbing accusations agains...

On Friday, November 8, 2024, a 30-year-old Maui woman on her way to New York missed her connecting flight in Los Angeles. While attempting to get on a standby flight for the weekend, she ventured out into Los Angeles, having been spotted around the city. But when Monday arrived, her family received some strange text messages from her before she was caught on surveillance footage with an unknown ma...

In the fall of 2011, a 41-year-old California woman set out for a new life on a beautiful island in Panama. But what seemed like an adventurous fresh start quickly took a turn for the worse when she suddenly disappeared without a trace. As her family’s concern grew, a horrible story of abuse and manipulation began to surface. As investigators looked for any sign of her, they soon uncovered a trail...

On Thanksgiving, 2018, a 29-year-old woman went missing in Colorado after last being spotted in a grocery store with her daughter. When investigators found traces of blood at her abandoned townhome, a sinister plot was uncovered that involved poisoned coffee, numerous road trips, and a baseball bat. This is the story of Kelsey Berreth. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com...

In November of 1988, a nine-year-old girl was abducted in broad daylight from the parking lot of her local corner store. Despite there being witnesses who relayed the assailant’s appearance to police, years passed without any significant movement in the case. But once DNA technology became advanced enough to provide a match from a fingerprint left on the girl’s scooter, a suspect was arrested. Sad...

Part 1 posted on October 29, 2024 - Episode 449. On October 10, 2024, a 35-year-old Montana man was murdered in his tent while camping in a secluded Montana site. Thanks to DNA found on a beer can in his tent, police arrested his killer three weeks later, on October 31, 2024. This is the updated story of Dustin Kjersem. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

In the early night hours of August 11, 2003, a 19-year-old Indigenous woman set off on a walk through the rain alone after spending time with friends in her home of Nome, Alaska. But when her roommate noticed her absence the following morning, she reported her missing. And just a day after doing so, her nude body was found shot to death in a gravel pit by an abandoned gold mine. As police put the...

In October of 2001, a 52-year-old man was found bludgeoned to death in his East Hampton home after missing a work meeting in the city. Just days before finalizing their divorce, investigators were keen on questioning his wife, along with her suspicious electrician boyfriend. But were they involved, or was someone else out to get the powerful investment banker? This is the story of Ted Ammon. Hoste...

On October 12, 2024, the friend of a 35-year-old Montana man stumbled upon his body in a tent when he didn’t show to their agreed meeting spot for a weekend camping trip. When police arrived at the scene along Moose Creek, they initially wondered if it was a brutal bear attack. But upon closer inspection it was clear that it was no animal mauling, and instead, a vicious believed-axe murder. This i...

On October 31st, 1993, a beloved 39-year-old teacher was found strangled to death inside her car in a quiet suburb of Sacramento. As police investigated her final movements, they started to believe that someone she knew was behind her murder. But now, over 30 years later, we’re still left in the dark about what really happened to her that night. Many are left wondering if hers is connected to a si...

On an early morning in September of 2022, a 25-year-old woman vanished without a trace after leaving her Salinas, California apartment. Later, her beloved car was found abandoned along Highway 1 in Big Sur, with all of her belongings locked inside. Surveillance video showed her last known movements, but where did she go afterwards? And where has she been since? This is the story of Arelie Garcia....

In the winter and early spring of 1946, a series of moonlight attacks and murders occurred along Lovers Lanes in Texarkana, Texas, leaving the small city terrified of a maniac in their midst. As police, the FBI, and Texas Rangers tried to find the assailant responsible for 5 murders and 3 survivor attacks, a slew of suspects presented themselves in the area - making investigators wonder: Who reall...

In August of 1989, two brothers entered their parents’ Beverly Hills mansion, and shot them multiple times, killing them almost instantly. When police arrived, the men maintained that the murders had taken place while they were at the movies, which police initially believed. But after a painstaking, months-long investigation, and a guilt-ridden confession to a therapist, the men were arrested for...

In August of 1989, two brothers entered their parents’ Beverly Hills mansion, and shot them multiple times, killing them almost instantly. When police arrived, the men maintained that the murders had taken place while they were at the movies, which police initially believed. But after a painstaking, months-long investigation, and a guilt-ridden confession to a therapist, the men were arrested for...

In October of 2019, a 28-year-old engineer vanished from her Missouri home, prompting her parents to fly to the United States from China to begin looking for her in desperation. But when there was no trace of her, suspicions turned toward someone very close to her, with discreet recordings recovered from her phone casting this person in an even more villainous light. This is the story of Mengqi Ji...

On a misty October evening in 1998, a 14-year-old girl arrived at her cousins Oregon home to babysit her twins. But when she returned from a night out, the evening before Halloween, she found her cousin gone. While her twins were safe in their cribs, her teenage cousin was missing - with no signs of a struggle or forced entry into the house. Although they had already been speculating foul play, wh...

In October of 1992, a 22-year-old man was found brutally murdered inside his Iowa home. Years passed with no answers, until a witness, who had been just nine years old at the time, came forward about her witnessing a black candlelit confession... Then finally, a previously eliminated suspect was arrested. This is the story of Corey Wieneke. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz...

In September of 1988, a 19-year-old woman went missing while riding her bike near her New Mexico home. With signs of a struggle left behind, suspicions were raised that she had been kidnapped. The case grew even more perplexing when, the following year, a Polaroid photo was found in a Florida parking lot depicting a young woman bound and gagged in the back of a van, and it was quickly connected to...

In September of 2015, a 35-year-old woman was beaten to death by a masked man inside her secluded home in the woods of Upstate New York. Her young children were the only witnesses, and her daughter was able to reveal a surprising detail about the intruder, leading to a suspect that would devastate her tight-knit family. This is the murder of Kelley Stage Clayton. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz c...

In 1996, a woman vanished along Route 29 in Virginia, and dozens of others came forward to say they had been followed in their cars by a man in a dark colored truck, always telling them that there was something wrong with their vehicles and that they needed to pull over. Possibly active as recently as 2014, the list of his potential victims grew long. Some of them were eventually proven to be link...

In October of 2005, a 52-year-old woman was brutally murdered in her home in suburban San Francisco, bludgeoned and disemboweled. As police investigated the case, an unsuspecting person of interest entered their frame of view: her 16-year-old neighbor. This is the murder of Pamela Vitale. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

In August of 1995, a 23-year-old woman was sunbathing on a Kentucky riverside when an unknown man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her off into the woods. The only person to witness this was a man who was observing her from his telescope, all the way across the river. An investigation began immediately, with police receiving incredibly helpful clues regarding possible suspects. So, what happene...

In September of 1996, a 15-year-old girl was found assaulted and drowned near a fishing access site in Montana. Though they initially suspected it to be an accident, police spent decades trying to catch her killer, until the search finally concluded in July of this year. This is the murder of Danielle Houchins. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

In September of 2017, a 19-year-old woman headed to a party at a Chicago hotel, only to be found dead in one of their unused hotel freezers under suspicious circumstances, just hours after being reported missing. This is the story of Kenneka Jenkins. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In September of 2015, a Los Angeles apartment building full of UCLA sorority sisters caught on fire. Luckily, no one was killed in the flames, but to the surprise of its residents, a 21-year-old woman’s remains were revealed inside. The manner of death was ruled homicide after it was determined she had been stabbed 19 times, and as police reviewed surveillance footage in the area and interviewed l...