Small Town Mysteries

On December 5th, 1872, about 400 miles off the coast of the Azores, crew members on the British ship Dei Gratia spotted a ship adrift in the sea. The Captain of the ship was shocked to find that the unguided ship was the Mary Celeste, which had departed from NYC eight days before him, and had been well past-due to have arrived in Genoa, Italy.
A small crew was sent to the ship. Below deck, items had been tossed around, and crew...

This week, we talk about the murder of Patricia Richmond. This case will throw you for a loop!

Sources:

1) Murder in the Heartland, Season 3, episode 3: Beautiful Mess 
2) https://www.yampavalleyfh.com/obituary/5151291
3) https://www.denverpost.com/2016/05/24/man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-cousins-fiance-in-routt-county/
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_County,_Massachusetts
5) https://www.uncovercolorado.com/t...

An online connection that Vickie Edge thought was fate, turns out to be a nightmare. 

Sources: 

1) https://www.wkrg.com/true-crime/vickie-edge-owner-of-destin-day-spa-murdered-by-man-she-met-online/
2) https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/vickie-edge-allegedly-murdered-by-boyfriend-jerry-odum
3) https://www.wkrg.com/video/family-remembers-murder-victim-vickie-edge/5754161/
4) https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americ...

When Bobbi Parker vanishes one day, her family is concerned. She was thought to be taken by an inmate under her care. However, over a decade later, the mystery begins to unravel, and let's just say that everything is not as it seems!

Sources: 

1) https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Bobbi_Parker
2)https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/f6nhp0/bobbi_parker_sufferer_of_stockholm_syndrome_or/
3) https://al...

Often in true crime spaces we come across cases where a murder is never solved, where a murdered person’s family never finds justice, where a body is never properly laid to rest. Sometimes we get one of these things, or two, and, more rarely than it SHOULD happen, sometimes we get all three. Today’s case is all 3: a body found, a murder solved, and justice served. This is the case of April Tinsley.

Sources: 

1) https://archives.fbi.g...

Do you know the expression: "The Dingo ate my baby"?

Okay, but did you know that it was based on an actual case in Australia in the 1980s?

This week, Christine covers the famous Australian case - and talks about how one of the most publicized cases of its decade was botched, in large part due to public pressure. 

Sources: 

1) https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/azaria-chamberlain-inquest
2) https://justice.n...

Rachael walks us through the murders of Bruce and Darlene Rouse. As always, there's a niiiiice little twist in there...just to keep you all on your toes.

Sources: 

1) https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/william-billy-rouse-confesses-parents-murders-illinois
2) https://vocal.media/criminal/the-libertyville-murders
3) https://www.lhsdoi.com/3511/news/libertyvilles-own-american-horror-story/
4) https://idoc.illino...

Daniel Williams was 21 years old when he was sentenced to one year in prison for non-violent drug charges. He was bounced around to multiple facilities during this year, and was set to finish out the last few weeks of his sentence at Staton Correctional Center in Elmore, Alabama. Little did Daniel know that he would die in that prison, both at the hands of someone yet to be convicted of any crime AND at the hands of the mind-boggli...

On the morning of September 16th, 2010, Greg Fleniken's body is found in his hotel room. Police are puzzled - they cannot find any motive for his murder and no explanation for his strange internal injuries. Greg’s wife, Susie turns to a private investigator in order to crack the case...and he does, revealing a series of truly stupifying events.

Sources: 

1) https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/true-crime-elegante-hotel-tex...

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.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/6030
4) https...

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.hjnews.com/alleged-rapist-a-suspect-in-tr...

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.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-post-trial-of-ri...

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-story.html
4) https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/...

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-why-it-took-16-years-to-find-her-real-killer
2)...

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-murder/article_487d0751-30db-5b9a-a536-5d9d723f204...

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. Some are simple, and some are sinister. 

...

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-Erickson-100069079830324/
https://www.dglobe.c...

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 unsurprisingly ruled an accident. However, after r...

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-9129736
3) https://www.cbsnews.co...