Casefile True Crime

Hello, Casefile listeners. This is a quick message to let you know that Case 292: Monster of the Andes was our last episode before we take a month-long, mid-year break. Casefile will be back with new episodes on August 17. We also have some exciting announcements and new projects on the horizon. So, watch our podcast feed and social media channels for more updates. You can also now follow me on Instagram @caseys.snaps, so come and say hi there.

*** Content warnings: Child abuse, child victims, sexual assault *** In the late 1970s, young girls along the Andes mountain range in Ecuador began to disappear. By 1980, the number of missing girls had reached national crisis proportions. Police feared the girls had been abducted by international child traffickers and sold into domestic and sexual slavery. That was until a vigilant market vendor spotted something out of the ordinary. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-292-monster-of-the-andes

In October of 2011, an advertisement was posted on the website Craigslist. It read: Wanted: Caretaker For Farm. Simply watch over a 688 acre patch of hilly farmland and feed a few cows. You get 300 a week and a nice 2 bedroom trailer. Someone older and single preferred but will consider all. Relocation a must. You must have a clean record and be trustworthy—this is a permanent position. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-291-david-pauley-ralph-geiger-timothy-kern

** Content warnings: Child victims *** When a Holden belonging to Glenroy man Elmer Crawford was found at the bottom of the Loch Ard Gorge in July 1970, immediate concerns were raised for the safety of Elmer, his wife Theresa and their three children, Katherine, James and Karen. But when rescue workers gained access to the vehicle, the true extent of the mystery really unfolded. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Vikki Petraitis Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-290-the-crawford-family

When Mersea Island couple Stephen and Carol Baxter were found dead in their favourite recliner chairs in April 2023, there were no visible injuries or an obvious cause of death. Their house was immaculate, and nothing appeared to be missing. The case was initially ruled “unexplained, but not suspicious” until a few unusual discoveries were made. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-289-stephen-carol-baxter

Troubled Waters is a 10-part ground-breaking podcast exploring the untold story of Louisa Ioannidis' tragic and mysterious death in 2011. Louisa Ioannidis was only 24. Beautiful, courageous, and vulnerable, yet her untimely death barely received a two-line report in a small local newspaper. Her body was discovered by passers-by in a local creek, clad in a pink dressing gown. Despite being a strong swimmer, police quickly determined there were no suspicious circumstances. Yet no one has been able to explain how or why she came to enter the creek. Louisa’s brother Tass has always doubted the findings and is desperate for answers. Over a decade after Louisa’s death, Private Investigator Julia Robson embarks on a fresh investigation and explores the full story of Louisa’s short life and the events leading up to her tragic passing. Together with Producer Clare McGrath, they uncover a gripping narrative full of intrigue. From an international kidnapping, a daring escape and a family’s desperate bid to stay together, it all unravels into a downward spiral exacerbated by a toxic relationship, all the while revealing flaws in a family violence support system that desperately needs fixing. Listen now: https://casefilepresents.com/troubled-waters

*** Content warnings: Domestic violence, suicide *** Dutch national Mark van Dongen met South African Berlinah Wallace in 2010 in Bristol, England. After 5 years together, Mark decided he wanted to end the relationship. He finally broke it off in August 2015 when he met someone new.  When Berlinah Wallace refused to accept Mark’s decision, she became so consumed with anger and jealousy that she did the unthinkable. Her actions lead to devastating consequences. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-288-mark-van-dongen

When Half and Susanne Zantop were found brutally stabbed to death in their Etna, New Hampshire home, friends, colleagues and investigators were all at a loss to understand it. The married couple were both beloved professors at Dartmouth College, and no one could think of a reason why someone would want to harm them. But a crucial clue left at the crime scene would lead investigators directly to some unlikely suspects: two high school students with a deadly plan… --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-287-half-susanne-zantop

After two planes struck New York City’s World Trade Center on September 11 2001, Tania Head was one of the lucky few who managed to escape from above the impact zone of the South Tower. Saved by lauded 9/11 hero Welles Crowther, Tania’s incredible and heartbreaking story of survival became an inspiration. Triumphing through trauma, she became the face of a support group called The Survivors’ Network. Yet, as Tania’s fame grew, she became uncharacteristically anxious. Was there more to her story? --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-286-the-survivors-network

*** Content warnings: Domestic violence *** When freelance writer Louise Ellis disappeared after leaving her Ottawa home on April 22 1995, the person leading the search for her was her devoted partner, Brett Morgan. But Brett’s criminal background made investigators suspicious and he found himself feeling more like a suspect than a victim. When he was approached by an aspiring private investigator named Marie Parent, the case suddenly took a very different turn… --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-285-louise-ellis

*** Content warnings: Animal cruelty, gun violence *** 43-year-old Graham Backhouse lived a peaceful life with his wife and children on Widden Hill Farm in Horton, England. But in 1984, a campaign of harassment directed at Graham left him fearing for his safety.  When his wife Margaret Backhouse becomes the victim of a targeted attack, investigators consider who could have a motive to hurt the loving couple. The focus soon turns on a neighbour, Colyn Beadle-Taylor, but all is not what it seems. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-284-widden-hill-farm

When Dutch friends Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon set out for a six-week adventure in Panama in 2014, they were ready for the trip of a lifetime. But after failing to show up for a planned tour in the mountain town of Boquete, search parties sprung into action. Had the two young women gotten lost while hiking the popular Pianista trail, or was something more sinister at play? --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-283-kris-kremers-lisanne-froon

*** Content warnings: Child victim, sexual assault *** In 2004, several young girls around Fort Wayne, Indiana received handwritten letters threatening that they would be the next victim of a child killer. Authorities were immediately concerned. DNA from the letters matched samples they had stored from an unsolved crime that was committed more than a decade earlier – the murder of eight-year-old April Tinsley. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-282-april-tinsley

*** Content warnings: Racial violence, sexual assault *** In June of 2020, London social worker Bibaa Henry decided to celebrate her 46th birthday with a picnic at scenic Fryent Country Park. Celebrations continued late into the night, until Bibaa and her younger sister Nicole Smallman were the only partygoers remaining. When both failed to return home the following day, their family was quick to raise the alarm. Their search would lead to a teenager who believed he’d made a deal with the Devil… --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-281-bibaa-henry-nicole-smallman

*** Content warnings: Animal cruelty *** On a hot summer’s day in 1989, a father and son travelling through Stockton, California, discover a VHS tape left by the side of a road. When they take it home and decide to watch it, they make a disturbing discovery. The tape contains footage of a house burning to the ground and was apparently filmed by the arsonist who lit the fire. When investigators looking into the tape hit a series of dead ends, they enlist the help of popular television series Unsolved Mysteries, and the case becomes known as that of the infamous Stockton Arsonist. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-280-the-stockton-arsonist

In early January 2000, residents of Asheville, North Carolina were told to be on the lookout for 18-year-old Zebb Quinn after he failed to return home after finishing his shift at Wal-Mart. A co-worker of Zebb’s, Robert Jason Owens, claimed that Zebb had sped off after receiving a mysterious message on his pager.  Two weeks later, an unexpected breakthrough in the case presents some bizarre clues. But as twist after twist emerges, the prevailing question remains - did Zebb Quinn leave of his own accord, or was he the victim of foul play? --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-279-zebb-quinn

*** Content warnings: Child victim, sexual assault *** [Part 2 of 2] Colin Ross maintained his innocence for the murder of Alma Tirtschke right up until his execution. Could he have been telling the truth? --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-278-alma-tirtschke-part-2

*** Content warnings: Child victim, sexual assault *** [Part 1 of 2] When 12-year-old Alma Tirtschke failed to return home after running an errand for her family, they were immediately concerned. Alma was a dutiful child who did what she was told and respected her elders. Alma’s final movements were retraced to an infamous saloon in the heart of Melbourne and its problematic owner, a man named Colin Ross. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-278-alma-tirtschke-part-1

*** Content warnings: Sexual assault, domestic violence *** Jeff and Tim Slaten woke on the morning of Friday, September 4 1981, to find their home teeming with police. Their mother, Linda, had been raped and murdered during the night. Neither brother heard a thing, and despite the killer having left pivotal evidence behind, it quickly became clear that this wasn’t an open-and-shut case. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso  Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-277-linda-slaten

May 3 1991, was a typical Friday for 58-year-old Margaret Penny. In the afternoon, she visited the Old London Coiffure in the heart of Portland, Victoria, for her weekly hair appointment with 49-year-old Claire Acocks. But when the two women are found stabbed to death in the salon’s shampoo room, the Portland rumour mill goes into overdrive.  Who could be motivated to commit such a brazen and vicious crime in the middle of the day, in the busiest part of town? And who was the “horrible man” with a hatred of hairdressers who had tormented Claire in the weeks before the crime?  --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill    Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-276-claire-acocks-margaret-penny