Going West: True Crime

In May of 1996, two women set off into the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains for a hike, and never came back out again. Strange details at the scene of their murder lead many to wonder who their killer was, brutally slaying them in their tent. But eventually, the investigation named a suspect. These are the murders of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans, also known as the Shenandoah National Park Murders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January of 2013, a 52-year-old high school librarian from Florida headed out on his boat for a quick afternoon ride. When he didn’t return home, an intense search ensued, leading investigators to his remains tied to an anchor. His body was found floating in the water, but he hadn’t drowned...he had been shot. And with the circumstances around his strange death, his family pushed for justice. This is the story of Patrick Mullins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In May of 2024, a 39-year-old California woman vanished without a trace, and no one, including her husband, seemed to be able to account for her whereabouts – even after her truck was founded abandoned in a deserted location. But the public quickly turned on her husband when they learned that he was under investigation for domestic violence, and that the couple were due in court just 11 days after she vanished. And then, lusciously, an intentional fire started burning outside their Northern California home. This is the story of Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you asked his coworkers, his family, or his wife, they would have told you that Richard Evonitz was a stand-up guy; a Navy veteran, a hard worker, and a devoted husband who was known by friends and neighbors to lend a hand when something needed to be fixed. Only a few young women knew the truth about him, but sadly found out after it was already too late. That is, until his last victim used her cunning survival skills to stop him from ever committing his heinous acts of depravity against anyone else. These are the crimes of Richard Evonitz, also known as the Spotsylvania Killer, and the stories of Sofia Silva, Kristin Link, Kati Link, and Kara Robinson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In July of 2008, a 45-year-old woman was found dead in the swimming pool of her rural Pennsylvania home, having been savagely beaten and strangled. Between an unusual call to 911 and a computer chock full of motive to murder, police narrowed in on a suspect fast. This is the story of Jan Roseboro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In October of 2005, a 27-year-old woman vanished after leaving a California casino. But when police pored over surveillance footage from the property, they saw a man escorting her through the parking lot. In the video, she can be spotted pushing the man away before disappearing from the camera’s view, never to be seen again. But was he responsible? Or was it someone else entirely? This the story of Christie Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June of 1998, a 49-year-old woman and her husband were out for a late-night drive when their car careened off a Nevada cliffside, killing her. To everyone’s surprise, when police looked into the accident, they began to suspect that it wasn’t an accident after all. This is the story of Rinette Riella-Bergna.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In May of 1990, a 40-year-old woman was murdered by a person in a clown costume after opening the door for them during breakfast. While police initially focused on her husband, he appeared to have an airtight alibi. But police would soon find someone else who had a reason to want her dead. This is the story of Marlene Warren. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March of 2018, a 22-year-old nursing student in New York was found strangled to death in off-campus housing after her friends tracked her phone’s location. Police quickly determined the person they believed to be responsible for the crime, but then discovered that he had fled the country shortly after killing her. This is the story of Haley Anderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June of 2020, a 65-year-old woman disappeared from her idyllic California ranch, leaving behind all her essential belongings. Those closest to her agreed that she wouldn’t have left of her own accord, and all staunchly denied involvement, while pointing the finger at someone else. But each of them had something to gain from her going missing. So which of them is telling the truth? This is the disappearance of Dia Abrams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December of 2000, a 31-year-old man headed out for a duck hunting trip on a Florida lake, and seemingly drowned, with his body believed to have been eaten by alligators. Years later, the case was reopened when his mother pointed out many inconsistencies, such as the fact that alligators wouldn’t have ravaged his body in the winter. Instead, something sinister was done to him by someone in his own circle. This is the murder of Mike Williams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In July of 2015, a family headed out for a camping trip in the woods of Idaho only for their two-year-old to vanish on the first day. The parents called 911 and were adamant that he was abducted after wandering off by himself. But after police assessed the scene and interviewed everyone present, they composed a different disturbing theory. This is the disappearance of DeOrr Kunz Jr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In July of 2015, a family headed out for a camping trip in the woods of Idaho only for their two-year-old to vanish on the first day. The parents called 911 and were adamant that he was abducted after wandering off by himself. But after police assessed the scene and interviewed everyone present, they composed a different disturbing theory. This is the disappearance of DeOrr Kunz Jr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September of 1978, a 15-year-old girl was hitchhiking from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to see her grandfather when an older man offered her a ride. Little did she know that this man was a predator who would assault her repeatedly and leave her for dead on the side of the road. But miraculously, she lived to tell the tale. This is the story of Mary Vincent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In May of 2008, a 19-year-old man left his friend’s house in rural Minnesota, taking the back roads instead of the highway. Shortly afterwards, he accidentally drove his car into a ditch, and called his parents asking for help. During a frustrating ordeal in the middle of the night, his parents couldn’t find him amongst the flat farmland, even though he was confident he was in a particular area and giving them clear instructions. Almost an hour into their call, he shouted an expletive, and the call ended – leaving his parents even more frantic to find him. Eerily, when police located his vehicle the next day, it was in a ditch 25 minutes away from where he thought he was. So what happened to him after that call dropped? This is the story of Brandon Swanson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June of 2007, the family of an 18-year-old woman in North Dakota was having trouble reaching her over the weekend, leading her father to visit her apartment for a check-in. When he arrived, he saw his daughter dead in her bedroom, with police quickly determining that she had been murdered. But when they looked through her texts and interviewed those close to her, multiple people seemed suspicious of the act: including a man with a crush on her, her roommate, a neighbor, and a local maintenance worker. But with a shocking update years later, police feel confident that they know which of them killed her. This is the story of Anita Knutson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In April of 2001, a 20-year-old man seemed to vanish into thin air from the yard of his father’s house after heading out to the shed to get something. As his disappearance was investigated, police locked in on numerous different people, including one who was known to perform illegal surgeries for his own sick pleasures. Eerily, this was far from the first strange thing to happen in his tiny Missouri town, which has been regarded as the Creepiest Town in America. This is the story of Branson Perry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August of 2016, a 27-year-old woman was on a run in a rural area of Princeton, Massachusetts and never returned home. When her body was found that evening with disturbing injuries, including burns to various parts of her body, a man-hunt ensued to catch the culprit. And when police found their perpetrator, multiple women came forward to tell their stories about him. This is the story of Vanessa Marcotte. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September of 2023, a 19-year-old man allegedly left a friend’s birthday party after a weekend of fun in Oklahoma. But when someone stumbled upon his body on the side of the road in the early morning hours, brutally killed, numerous police organizations jumped in the help. With everyone at the party keeping quiet about the evening, and deleting all video and photo proof of the night, everyone is left to wonder: What are they hiding? This is the story of Noah Presgrove. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August of 2023, a 37-year-old woman headed out for a beautiful summer hike two hours before sunset. When darkness fell upon the day and she hadn’t returned home, her boyfriend discovered her car still at the trailhead late in the night, prompting him to call police and report her missing. When her body was found the following day, she and the scene were processed, quickly leading investigators to link foreign DNA on her body to another crime that was committed across the country. This is the story of Rachel Morin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices