The Vanished Podcast

This episode first aired on August 8, 2022. On March 26, 2020, 45-year-old Eugene Prins planned a short road trip with a friend to drop off a wood splitter. They started out in Woonsocket, South Dakota, and drove about 25 miles east to the tiny town of Fedora. Afterward, Eugene and his friend stopped at a bar in Forestburg, along their route home. The two were captured on surveillance footage leaving the bar at 7:38 PM. Eugene had been drinking, but witnesses said he didn’t appear to be visibly intoxicated. He had also mentioned that he wanted to get home because he had work th...

In April 2010, 24-year-old Tanner Sharp left his sister’s home in California and told his family he was heading to Kansas, where a friend had a job waiting for him. Over the next few weeks, Tanner remained in contact, but his calls were brief, and he shared very little about his new life. During his final calls to family, he said he was getting a new phone and would reach out once he had the new number. But they never heard from Tanner again.

As Tanner’s family began looking for him, they discovered that some of what...

Last week, in Part 1 of Wade Hack’s story, we followed Wade’s final months in Baltimore and the account of what happened in the days before he disappeared. But as his family and friends began trying to verify that story, they kept running into the same problem: so much of it depended on information they could not independently confirm.

In Part 2, we’ll learn what Wade’s loved ones uncovered when they began working from the opposite direction, setting aside the pieces they could not independently verify and focusing instead on the information they could confirm. As they...

In June of 2024, 31-year-old Wade Hack traveled from North Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland, to spend time with a man he had met online. What was supposed to be about a week-long visit stretched into several months. By late October, Wade was making plans to return home. But just days before his family was expecting him back in North Carolina, Wade disappeared.

The initial account of Wade’s disappearance centered on a note he was said to have left behind, suggesting he intended to be gone only briefly. But as his family and friends began retracing his final da...

This episode originally aired on December 5, 2022. Since then, there have been significant developments in Aidan Spear’s case. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for an update.

On January 24, 2022, 21-year-old Aidan Spear had plans to meet with her mother, Jessica, at 11 AM. About 20 minutes before they were due to meet, Jessica received a message from Aidan stating that she had to say goodbye to someone and would be a little late. She promised to call later and said she would still meet her, just not at the original time. Jessica never heard from her daughter ag...

May 26, 2026, started like any ordinary day for 53-year-old John Kapaun. He got up that morning, packed a lunch for his daughter, Alyssa, spent some time playing guitar, and later played a game with his son, Jacob. Around 2:00 p.m., John left the Burnsville, Minnesota, home he shared with his children for his daily walk.

John was known to walk long distances and usually followed the same route to Terrace Oaks Park, where he often walked several laps and foraged. His routine was predictable, and he was usually home before 5:00 p.m., around the time Alyssa returned from...

On May 13, 2020, 21-year-old Lillian Payne was spending time with her brother and his girlfriend when they encountered a man at a Flying J truck stop in York County, South Carolina. Lilly had met him once or twice before and knew him as Ray Atkinson. The group decided to continue hanging out, with Lilly riding with Ray while her brother and his girlfriend followed in their own vehicle. Lilly’s brother began having trouble with his vehicle and decided to leave. He asked Lilly to come with them, but she chose to stay with Ray. Around 4:00 a.m., her brother an...

This episode first aired on November 2, 2017. In February 2016, 19-year-old Morgan Bauer left Aberdeen, South Dakota, with plans to begin a new life in Atlanta. She’d arranged to stay with people she met on Craigslist, but within weeks of arriving, Morgan stopped contacting her friends and family and vanished without a trace. Her case was soon overshadowed by damaging internet rumors that called her disappearance into question and diverted attention from the people last known to have been with her. Nearly six years after our original episode aired, investigators recovered Morgan’s remains in Porterdale, Georgia, and arrested the same...

This episode originally aired on January 26, 2026. Since this episode first aired, there have been significant developments in Amy’s case. Stay tuned after the original episode for more information.

On June 13, 2016, 44-year-old Amy McHale said goodbye to her mother and left her home in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nothing about that moment suggested it would be the last time her family would see her, but it was.

In the early morning hours of June 14, Amy called her daughter, Amanda, and left a voicemail. When Amanda listened to the message later that morning, it didn't raise any im...

In Part 4 of Junaliza Chappell’s story, we focused on Ashley and the weight she has carried since her mother disappeared. As Ashley grew older, memories from her early childhood began to connect with records, conversations, and details shared by the people who had been searching for Juna for years. Those discoveries were painful. They helped Ashley better understand her mother’s fear, but they also forced her to confront parts of her own story that remain unresolved.

We also examined the frustration surrounding Juna’s case: missing records, confusion over which agency had what, and the questi...

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been untangling the disappearance of Junaliza Chappell, a young mother who was trying to leave her husband, Timothy Chappell, and start over in California with her 3-year-old daughter, Ashley.

Juna had a plan. Ashley was already in California with people Juna trusted. Juna had completed job training in Florida and was supposed to return to Atlanta, get her car, and drive west. But Juna never made it back to her daughter.

After Juna vanished, Timothy disappeared with Ashley. U.S. Marshals eventually found him driving Juna’s car with...

In Parts 1 and 2 of Junaliza Chappell’s story, we followed the days leading up to her disappearance and the chaotic search that followed.

By February of 2007, Juna had decided to leave her husband, Timothy, and start over in California with her 3-year-old daughter, Ashley. Ashley was already there with Juna’s friends, and after Juna finished job training in Florida, the plan was for her to fly back to Atlanta, get her car, and drive west. But Juna never made it, and she's never been seen or heard from again.

Timothy claimed he picked Juna up f...

Last week, we shared Part 1 of Junaliza Chappell’s story. By February of 2007, Juna was preparing to leave her husband, Timothy, and start over in California with her 3-year-old daughter, Ashley.

Juna had carefully crafted her exit plan. Ashley was already in California, staying with Juna’s trusted friends, Frank and Grace. Juna had moved some of her belongings into a storage unit there. She had a new job waiting for her, but first she needed to attend job training in Florida. From there, the plan was for Juna to fly back to Atlanta, get her car, and...

In February of 2007, 27-year-old Junaliza Chappell was preparing to leave Georgia and begin a new life in California with her 3-year-old daughter, Ashley. Juna had accepted a new job, traveled to Florida for training, placed some of her belongings in storage, and arranged for Ashley to stay with trusted friends on the West Coast while she completed the final steps of her move.

Juna planned to fly back to Atlanta, retrieve her car, and drive west. Juna never showed up for her new job on the day she was scheduled to begin, she never returned to pick...

This episode originally aired on September 30, 2024. On June 24, 2024, 21-year-old Zyanya Valora stayed up late after her parents went to bed. In the early morning hours of June 25, around 2:30 AM, she is believed to have left their home in Ojai, California. Her family suspects she was barefoot and wearing a tank top and shorts.

Later that morning, Zyanya's parents assumed she was simply sleeping in, as young people often do. However, around 11 AM, her mother, Damaris, discovered that her daughter was not in her room or anywhere inside their home. Concerned, Damaris called her husband at work and...

On December 19, 2025, 31-year-old Corey Bryant disappeared from the Bemidji, Minnesota area. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Corey’s life had become increasingly unstable. Loved ones noticed that he seemed withdrawn and fearful of the people around him. Corey reportedly hinted that things had become “weird” where he was staying and suggested he no longer felt safe there.

Concern escalated in January 2026 when Corey failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing. As family members began comparing notes, they realized no one had spoken to him in weeks. Then they learned that several people connected to Cor...

After 24-year-old Brianna Vibert disappeared in the early morning hours of July 15, 2017, investigators were tasked with trying to piece together a timeline from scattered surveillance footage, witness statements, and conflicting accounts from the people who had been around her that night. But as the days turned into weeks, and then weeks turned into years, the case only became more complicated.

The deeper they looked into the circumstances surrounding Brianna’s disappearance, the more questions they uncovered. Timelines overlapped in strange ways, and what social media posts captured in real time seemed to conflict with later statements. Some pe...

Just after midnight on July 15, 2017, 24-year-old Brianna Vibert walked into a Marathon gas station near her home in Flint Township, Michigan. She was visibly upset and had a cut on her arm. The clerk working that night recognized Brianna because she often came into the store. Brianna told him that she had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend and was looking for a ride.

A short time later, a man driving a red Pontiac Aztec pulled into the parking lot. According to the clerk, it appeared Brianna didn’t know the man, but she asked him fo...

This episode originally aired on March 10, 2019.

On July 1, 2018, 28-year-old Kevin Graves vanished while attending the Electric Forest Music Festival in Rothbury, Michigan. Kevin had traveled to the festival with his girlfriend and friends, but during the weekend, he disappeared after reportedly walking away from the group while agitated and distressed.

When Kevin failed to return home, his loved ones immediately knew something was wrong. Extensive search efforts began almost immediately across the festival grounds and surrounding wooded areas. But despite years of searching, no trace of Kevin was found.

Then, more than six ye...

In mid-January 2025, 22-year-old Jeremiah Moneta disappeared from Ponca City, Oklahoma.

Just months earlier, Jeremiah had moved from Kansas City, Missouri, hoping to be closer to his mother and siblings after the sudden death of his godfather. He was beginning to settle into his new life, working, saving money, and preparing to move into his own apartment. Jeremiah was also trying to meet people and build new connections in a place that was still unfamiliar.

On January 17, Jeremiah’s mother, Jaimie, received a phone call from a stranger. The woman said she had found Jeremiah’s phon...

In August of 2007, 50-year-old Paul Elliott disappeared from Alliance, Ohio. According to Paul’s brother-in-law, Phil, Paul left home on his bicycle.

At first, Paul’s family believed he had likely gone to the rural trailer property where he sometimes stayed when he needed space. But when Paul’s son, Bryan, checked the property, the trailer was locked, and there was no sign of Paul or his bicycle.

Bryan checked the places Paul was known to go, contacted friends and family, repeatedly returned to the trailer property, and hung missing person flyers throughout town. But no one...

On a summer day in 2007, 50-year-old Paul Elliott left the duplex he shared with family in Alliance and rode away on his bicycle. 

According to his brother-in-law, Paul left after learning that police had been called about tools stolen from the property. There's no indication that Paul had taken the tools. In fact, his brother-in-law reportedly believed someone else was responsible. But those close to Paul say he was deeply uncomfortable around law enforcement because of something that had happened years earlier, so when he heard police were coming, he left before they arrived.

Paul h...

This episode originally aired on June 22, 2020. Since that time, there have been significant updates in Trudy's case.

On the morning of August 21, 1996, Dennis Appleby left his Moline, Illinois, home to head to work, leaving his 11-year-old daughter, Trudy, at home to spend the summer day. Around 9:30 a.m., a neighbor saw Trudy with a man who appeared to be in his 20s, with dark curly hair and a baseball cap. The unidentified man was driving a silver or gray four-door sedan.

Dennis came home from work that evening and was surprised to find that Trudy...

Over the past three weeks, we’ve followed Andrew Dixon’s story from the beginning, from the life he was trying to build, to the challenges he faced, to the fear and confusion that seemed to grow in the weeks leading up to his disappearance.

We traced Andrew’s final known movements, the early investigation, and the discovery of the car abandoned along a remote stretch of highway roughly 45 miles north of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. But beyond that point, Andrew’s trail goes cold. There is no way to know for certain whether Andrew was behind t...

Over the past two weeks, you’ve heard the first two parts of Andrew Dixon’s story. In Part 1, we explored Andrew’s early life in Oklahoma and the complicated family history that followed him into adulthood. After moving to New Mexico, Andrew built a life and became a father, but by 2025, that stability had begun to unravel. He was struggling with addiction, his relationship had ended, and a legal situation left him temporarily unable to see his daughter, something that deeply affected him.

In Part 2, we focused on the days leading up to his disappearance. Andrew appear...

Last week, you heard Part 1 of Andrew Dixon’s story. You learned about Andrew’s early life in Oklahoma and how, from the very beginning, his story was complicated. Over time, the patterns he was born into followed Andrew into adulthood.

Andrew ultimately left Oklahoma for a fresh start in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After a long-term relationship with the mother of his child had ended, Andrew moved north to Truth or Consequences, hoping to begin again.

There, a childhood friend's family opened their home to Andrew while he worked to get back on his feet...

On the evening of July 28, 2025, surveillance cameras at the Sierra County Detention Facility in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, captured a white Kia Soul pulling into the parking lot. The driver parked, stepped out, and walked away. Investigators believe that the driver may have been 32-year-old Andrew Dixon. That brief moment on surveillance video would later take on new significance.

Two days later, Andrew was reported missing. A man contacted police to report that his 2004 blue Toyota Camry was missing, and he believed his friend and roommate, Andrew Dixon, may have taken it. He had tried multiple...

Last week, you heard Part 1 of William Gray’s story. In October of 2022, 39-year-old William Gray disappeared from his home in Sweeny, Texas, leaving behind questions that remain unanswered more than three years later. In Part 1, we explored Will’s life, the mounting tension in his marriage, the events leading up to the day he vanished, and the early stages of the investigation.

In the months before his disappearance, Will had been injured at work and underwent back surgery in September 2022. According to his sister, Beverly, he told her that once he was cleared to return to work...

In October of 2022, 39-year-old William Gray disappeared from his home in Sweeny, Texas. At the time, Will was in the middle of a difficult chapter in his life. He was recovering from back surgery following a work-related injury and was temporarily sidelined, but looking forward to returning to his job soon. According to those close to him, Will had been making plans. He told family members that once he was back at work, he intended to retain an attorney and move forward with filing for divorce.

Beneath those plans, tensions had been escalating. In the weeks leading...

This episode originally aired on October 28, 2018. It has been remastered and now includes new information at the end regarding significant developments in this case.

At 8:30 PM on December 9, 2001, 38-year-old mother of three, Michele Lyn Hundley Smith, told her family she was going Christmas shopping. She left her home in Stoneville, North Carolina, driving her green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van with North Carolina license plate “ROK-N-ON.” She was headed to Martinsville, Virginia, less than 20 miles away.

Shopping at night wasn’t unusual for Michele. It wasn't long before Christmas and shortly before her oldest daughter’s birthday...

On the evening of February 28, 2006, 23-year-old Travis Roberson traveled from his home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to downtown Fayetteville to attend a Mardi Gras celebration. He was there with friends, enjoying what was meant to be a night of music, crowds, and celebration. At some point during the evening, Travis told the others he wasn’t feeling well and said he was going to walk back to the car to wait until everyone was ready to leave. When the rest of the group returned to the vehicle later that night, Travis was nowhere to be found. At first, there wa...

Keyonta Davis disappeared from Baltimore, Maryland, just days after his twenty-first birthday in March of 2020. On his birthday, Keyonta stopped by his mother Angie’s home, and the two made plans to get together the following day so she could bake him a cake. The next day, Keyonta went to work and called Angie during his lunch break. Nothing about that conversation suggested anything was wrong, but he never showed up for that birthday cake, and Angie never heard from her son again.

Keyonta was a young adult with disabilities who needed ongoing support as he moved in...

In early March of 2020, 35-year-old Michael Green left his home in Winnfield, Louisiana. It wasn’t unusual for Michael to come and go, and a few days without hearing from him didn’t immediately raise concern. But as the days stretched on, his absence began to feel heavier. Michael was usually in touch, or at least visible somewhere around town. This time, he wasn’t.

Michael's sister sent him messages, but Michael didn’t respond. That alone was unsettling. In mid-March, she sent him a message on Facebook Messenger, saying their mother was worried and asking him to get i...

Joan Bernal's episodes originally aired in October 2020. In December of 1988, Joan Bernal, her husband, and their children had plans to leave their home in Joliet, Illinois, and head to Texas to visit her husband’s family for the holidays. Things didn’t go as planned, and they weren’t able to bring Joan’s children from a previous marriage due to custody issues. According to Joan’s husband, Gil, they decided to make the trip anyway. He later told investigators that Joan became upset during the drive and that he dropped her off near a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma...

Joan Bernal's episodes originally aired in October 2020. In December of 1988, Joan Bernal, her husband, and their children had plans to leave their home in Joliet, Illinois, and head to Texas to visit her husband’s family for the holidays. Things didn’t go as planned, and they weren’t able to bring Joan’s children from a previous marriage due to custody issues. According to Joan’s husband, Gil, they decided to make the trip anyway. He later told investigators that Joan became upset during the drive and that he dropped her off near a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma...

On June 13, 2016, 44-year-old Amy McHale said goodbye to her mother and left her home in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nothing about that moment suggested it would be the last time her family would see her, but it was.

In the early morning hours of June 14, Amy called her daughter, Amanda, and left a voicemail. When Amanda listened to the message later that morning, it didn’t raise any immediate alarm bells, but when she tried to call her mother back, it went straight to voicemail. In the message, Amy said she was staying at her ex-husband’s house, some...

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving 2025, the family and friends of 59-year-old Daniel Davis began to grow increasingly concerned. Dan was known as deeply reliable. His coworkers couldn’t even remember him missing a single day of work in decades. Much of Dan’s life revolved around his job at 115 Bourbon Street, a well-known music venue in Merrionette Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb just outside the city of Chicago.

They soon learned that Dan had been involved in a car accident late on the night of Monday, November 24. After the crash, Dan was dropped off at his...

On January 12, 2025, 50-year-old Robert Maguire, known to those closest to him as Bobby, said goodbye to his father and boarded a bus in Wilmington, Delaware. His destination was Scranton, Pennsylvania. Those cities are only about 2 to 3 hours apart, but the route the bus Bobby boarded included a stop at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, where he was expected to transfer to a second bus bound for Scranton. On the other end of the trip, Bobby’s cousin was waiting for a call to let him know he had arrived and was ready to be picked up...

On the afternoon of January 8, 2023, deputies from the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a trespassing call in Dow, Illinois. A landowner reported seeing two men riding across his fields: one on a four-wheeler and the other driving a blue Buick. When deputies caught up with one of the men, he explained that he was searching for his girlfriend, 39-year-old Kaila Vincent Vatole, who had left their residence earlier that day. He said he didn’t know which direction she had gone, but he was worried about her and told deputies she might be suicidal.

Give...

Kay-Alana Turner’s episodes first aired in November 2023. On March 9, 2023, 27-year-old Kay-Alana Turner left a friend’s home in Silsbee, Texas, and began driving toward Austin, about four hours away, apparently to visit a friend. In the days leading up to March 9, Kay-Alana had not been sleeping well and did not seem quite like herself. In the early morning hours of March 10, witnesses in Hockley and Tomball, Texas, interacted with Kay-Alana after she asked if she could sleep in their driveways. By that time, her phone had died.

Around 6 a.m., a homeowner in the Holly Creek Esta...